Break These Chains
by kinole009x
Summary: Sequel to Midnight Plane to Anywhere. The Volturi know that Bella knows about vampires. They demand that she be changed immediately or die. But what if she doesn't want to be changed anymore? Can Edward convince her otherwise? And will love prevail?
1. Prologue: Strange Awareness

**A/N: This is the sequel to _Midnight Train to Anywhere_. I couldn't resist, I had to write one! This prologue is just kind of a quick overview of what's been happening since the last story, and a little bit of what will happen. It's not the most exciting, but it's necessary. It'll get better =) I hope you all like it!**

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_Prologue: Strange Awareness_

I stuck my hand in the small, white cardboard box that I had recently found in the kitchen and felt the smooth sensations of rose petals attacking my hand from every direction. I was lying on my bed at Charlie's house in Forks, listening to the rain as it pounded heavily on the roof above my head.

Inside my little box were a handful of crushed, red rose petals, and numerous roses of different colors. Although the roses were starting to wither, they were still beautiful; not only in appearance, but for the memories they held as well. And every rose had its own memory. I absentmindedly ran my hand through the box and thought back to the past few weeks.

It had been a few weeks since Angelo's death, and I was healing. I had returned home not too long ago and I was keeping myself occupied. I worked. I would go out occasionally with Angela, Jessica, or both. And I would spend time with Edward.

There were good things and not so good things about my return to life in Forks. It took awhile to get Charlie to allow Edward near the house again, but in time, things got better in that department. My battle wounds were healing and the nightmares were gone. A lot of the time I was content and tried to keep myself busy. But as the days wore on, I became more and more restless and I couldn't understand why.

Things with Edward had definitely improved and I was opening up to him more and more. But things hadn't returned to the way they had been before he left, at least, not yet. I still held the tiniest of grudges and he was being very careful. We still hadn't kissed. I wasn't sure if this was because I wouldn't let him or because he was afraid of scaring me away.

Part of me secretly wondered if I was afraid to be kissed because what if he left again? I'd be just the way I was before…only worse.

I gently set the box on the floor and rolled over, thinking further. These past few days, I had begun to get odd goose bumps. Forks was a chilly place, but I'd never really gotten goose bumps before, especially not every day, all the time. I would wake up a few times in the middle of the night, not from nightmares, but from some kind of déjà vu feeling, as if I felt something was going to happen. I couldn't understand this odd, strengthened sense of awareness, when a lot of the time, I was barely aware of simple things, such as where I was walking.

It made me wonder if something was going to happen, but I shrugged this off. Victoria was gone, what possible threat could I have left? What more danger could I possibly get myself into?

Sometimes, when I wasn't directly looking at him, I felt Edward's eyes on me, almost as if he knew something, too. But he didn't say anything and I didn't mention it. I wanted life to go on as normally as possible.

I should have known by now that that was almost impossible for me. And that I was in for yet another unexpected adventure.


	2. Chapter 1: Disappearance

_Chapter 1: Disappearance_

It happened the next day. Everything got flipped upside down once again and my semi-safe, little world was turned into an absolute and complete frenzy.

I was sitting at the kitchen table that afternoon, once again feeling a little strange. The day was cloudy and overcast, as usual, and my mood matched it perfectly. I didn't want to do anything specifically. I didn't have to work so normally I'd probably try and do something, like laundry or something relatively productive, but I couldn't get myself to. I didn't want to hang out with my friends. I did kind of want to see Edward but I didn't want to be the one to initiate contact. And so I sat at the kitchen table, trying to figure out what to piece together for dinner: something easy, quick, and painless.

At that moment, I heard a car pull into the driveway and I assumed it was Edward. I sat and waited for the door to open, but instead of Edward, I heard, then saw, Charlie enter the house. This surprised me. Charlie was hardly ever home this early.

And furthermore, he seemed distressed. He walked into the kitchen, completely immersed in his thoughts, and it seemed like he didn't even notice I was there at first. His brows were furrowed together in concentration and it looked like he was working out a puzzle. I assumed that it had been a hard day at work and that it had nothing to do with me.

I cleared my throat. "Hi Dad."

Charlie looked surprised to see me. It concerned me a bit. "Hi Bells," he said, attempting a little too hard to sound casual.

There was an awkward silence, before I decided to push a little further. "Is something wrong?" I asked timidly.

"Erm – just an urgent call at work."

This bothered me even more. Usually Charlie didn't have a problem mentioning exactly what those urgent calls were, especially if they were so urgent that they could affect me. For example, "bears" in the woods.

My strange, new sense of déjà vu and foreboding kicked in. "Oh?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as I could.

Charlie looked very uncomfortable. "Yep."

This was getting nowhere. "Dad, it must have been pretty serious."

Charlie had opened the fridge and stuck his head inside. I didn't know if he was really looking for something or if he was just trying to avoid the subject.

After he had been searching in there for a minute, I decided enough was enough. It was obviously a big deal and the fact that Charlie wouldn't say anything about it made it seem like even more of a big deal, like it hit close to home or something.

"Dad, what was the call?" I asked flat out, hoping I didn't sound too nosy.

Charlie peeked out from the fridge, looking at me and obviously trying to decide if he should say something. Eventually, he did.

"Someone's gone missing."

"Who?" I asked immediately.

"Well…" Charlie shut the door of the refrigerator and didn't say anything further.

"Who was it, Dad?"

He sighed deeply before giving in. "Jacob."

I stared at Charlie blankly. "What?"

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. "Jacob is missing."

Immediately, I jumped up from the table, in shock.

I tried to work it out in my mind. Jacob was missing. So did this mean he ran away? Or was he kidnapped? I tried to imagine Jacob and what he would possibly be thinking. I was pretty sure he wouldn't just run away. He was close to Billy, he took _care_ of Billy. But how would he be kidnapped? He was a werewolf, not to mention a big guy. I couldn't imagine him being dragged away against his will.

"Bella?"

I snapped back to attention to see Charlie staring at me, concerned and a little confused.

"Yeah, Dad?"

His brows furrowed together, before he straightened up and pointed a finger towards me. "Now Bella, don't do anything rash. I don't want you to go out looking for him. This could be dangerous."

I sighed. "Dad, I'm not going to go looking for him." I wouldn't know where to find him anyway. And who knows, maybe he wasn't really missing. What if it was a mistake? Maybe he was off with some friends?

"Good," Charlie said gruffly, moving towards the door. "I'm going to go see Billy."

Numbly, I made my way upstairs to my room. I suddenly found myself thinking of Angelo. I did think about him a lot lately. And now I asked myself, what would Angelo have wanted? What would he have done? Would he have approved of me sitting back and waiting for someone to find Jake? Or would he have agreed with me seizing the moment and helping someone else?

I lay down and buried my head in my cool pillow. I needed to relax. There was no reason to get worked up for nothing. There was a possibility that this was a false alarm. But Charlie had seemed so worried. And he was going to see Billy. I sighed deeply, trying to fight the panic that was threatening to strangle me.

I decided that I wouldn't be going anywhere. I had told Charlie I wouldn't, Edward wouldn't have let me, and where would I have gone? I had no ideas and no clues. I didn't have anything that would lead me to where Jacob was.

If there was one thing I absolutely hated, it was feeling helpless.

Eventually, although it was only early afternoon, I fell into a deep, deep sleep.

I awoke in the early hours of the morning (2 A.M according to my blinking alarm clock) and sat up groggily. My head and my back hurt, probably from falling asleep so early and perhaps oversleeping as well. I looked up, straight ahead, and jumped.

Edward was sitting in the rocking chair, calm and patient, and also a little amused. I should have been used to him appearing in my room in the middle of the night by now, but his long disappearance had made that routine almost alien to me.

Before I had a chance to react, I heard the phone ringing from downstairs. My first thought instantly was that it was 2 A.M, so w ho could possibly be calling? It must be an emergency and furthermore, why wasn't Charlie answering it? I leapt out of my bed and tripped into the hall, running the short distance to Charlie's room. His bed was empty.

I made my way down the cold stairs as fast as I could without falling, and reached the phone just before it would have stopped ringing. "Hello?" I muttered quietly into the receiver, breathless.

"Bella?"

I gasped as I heard Jacob's familiar, yet terrified, voice.

"Jacob? Jacob! Where are you? And what's going on? Charlie said…"

"Bella," Jacob said quickly. "Listen, I can't talk long, or else I'll be caught."

Or else he'd be caught? That did not sound good. I didn't have time to mull over this long, because he was continuing.

"I was kidnapped, Bella," he said, and fear nearly knocked me over. He sounded scared and that worried me. Not much scared Jake, considering he was a powerful werewolf and all. "And I needed to call someone." He paused for a moment, before his voice dropped so low that I had trouble hearing him.

"Bella, I need your help."

I hadn't even realized that I was sinking to the floor. "Of course, Jacob. What can I do?"

"I hope it's not too much to ask, but could you come find me?"

I didn't even hesitate. "Yes."

Jacob paused. "I can't ask you to do this," he whispered.

"Don't be ridiculous."

"Bella, it's just, there's no one else…that I really trust."

I wanted to ask about the pack, but the situation was too urgent.

Jacob took a deep breath. "I'm in Lewiston, Idaho. It's about a nine hour drive. I'll call your phone around then…to give you further directions." He trailed off.

"Okay Jake," I whispered. "I'm coming."

"Thanks, Bella." And with that, he was gone.

I sat on the kitchen floor, feeling the cool tile through the sweatpants I was wearing. My head spun as I worked everything out in my mind, as I tried to think about how I was going to do this. What would Charlie think?

I must have been on the floor longer than I thought, because I looked up and Edward was sitting next to me. I looked away quickly, knowing he probably already saw the entire story in my eyes.

"Bella," he said quietly, taking my hand. "You can't go. It's not safe."

I assumed that he had either heard my end of the conversation, or had heard Jacob through the phone, or both. "I have to," I whispered.

"No you don't," Edward said firmly. "Tell Charlie, or anyone else. Let someone else handle this."

I didn't say anything and he looked at me incredulously. "You can't go out there alone! You can't even think of it, Bella."

"So come with me," I said simply.

Edward looked away and I knew that idea didn't set well with him either.

I felt an uncomfortable rush of anxiety pulsing through my veins. "He's my _friend_, Edward," I tried to explain. He had kept me alive when Edward had left. I had to help him. "I can't sit back and do nothing!"

"Bella, I have a bad feeling about this," he told me and I could see that his eyes were pleading. "Please, don't leave. You'll be putting yourself in immediate danger."

I knew I couldn't promise him anything. I leaned against one of the legs of the table, the phone still in my left hand and Edward's in my right, as I mulled over the possibilities. Half of me wanted to listen to Edward, to trust him on this one, to not upset him. The other half of me wanted to run off and save Jacob without another thought. And somewhere beneath all of that, Angelo's voice told me to seize the moment.

How could I seize the moment by sitting back and letting my best friend suffer?

I scrambled to my feet ungracefully, clunking the phone onto the table and rushing to the stairs. I tried to ignore the feeling of Edward's disapproving stare on my back and my own sense of danger that I couldn't exactly ignore.


	3. Chapter 2: Final Decision

_Chapter 2: Final Decision_

I jogged up the stairs, trying to fight the feeling of alarm and indecision that was threatening to overpower me. I couldn't hear Edward behind me, but I knew he was following me – I could sense him. I came to a stop back in my room, flipping on the lamp beside my bed and eyeing the room for a bag.

"Bella," Edward said, already beside me. I wondered mildly why I hadn't closed the door. It's not like it would have mattered anyway. A door wouldn't stop Edward.

I spotted my backpack and was about to go and grab it, until I was stopped by Edward, who sat me firmly on the bed.

"Bella, just stop and _think_ about this."

I sighed anxiously. "There's no time to stop and think!"

"Why did he call _you_?" Edward asked me, sitting next to me and holding my hand again, so that I wouldn't try and leave. "Why didn't he call Billy or his pack?"

As much as I wanted to get moving, I couldn't help but stop and think about that. Edward was right. Why had he called me? Did he really have that much faith in me? I was a magnet for danger. And the other wolves were stronger and faster than I was. If he really wanted to be rescued, I was probably the last person to call on.

This was beginning not to make much sense. I shrank back on the bed, defeated.

"But it was him, on the phone," I said softly, helplessly. "He sounded so scared. I need to do something."

"Call Charlie, then," Edward replied. "Just don't try and do this by yourself, Bella. That phone call didn't sound right to me."

"Maybe Jacob called Billy and everyone else first?" I suggested in a tiny voice. Maybe they were all on their way. Maybe we were all going to save Jacob together.

"Maybe," Edward said doubtfully. "But think about it, Bella. If Jacob has been kidnapped and he's sneaking phone calls, then I don't think he'd have time to call everyone. I don't think he'd even have time to call Billy, and then you. He probably only called you."

I was torn. And I couldn't ignore Edward's voice of reason. Suddenly exhausted, I dropped my head in my hands, trying to ignore the pounding that was making it hard to think.

"Bella," Edward whispered gently, kneeling in front of me and tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear. I looked up at him wearily.

"I know he's your friend. And I want to help you. But running impulsively after him isn't the thing to do." He paused for a moment, before going on. "I'll go and talk to Carlisle. I want to see what he thinks, and then we'll figure out what we can do."

The panic began to build again. "But what am I supposed to do until then?" I asked frantically. "What about Jacob? There's no _time_, Edward!"

"Bella, sshh," he said, taking my hands away from my face. I hadn't even noticed that I was on the verge of pulling my hair out. "It won't take long. Just promise me that you'll stay right here."

I couldn't promise him that. I stayed silent, knowing that Edward probably wouldn't move until I promised him.

"Bella," Edward urged. "Promise me, please."

"Okay," I whispered, before I could stop myself.

"I'll be back," he promised in turn, standing and kissing my forehead. And with that, he disappeared out the window into the darkness.

I lay back on my bed and turned onto my side, horrified. My mind was spinning dangerously. Indecision prodded me viciously in my gut, as I tried to decide what the right thing to do was.

Should I break my promise and go find Jacob myself, or should I stay and wait for Edward, and risk Jacob's life?

It seemed to be a question of loyalties, but I also considered it a question of life and death. I rolled back onto my back and stared at the ceiling. What was I going to do?

I had to admit that Edward had a point about the phone call, it was a little strange. It was Jacob all right and he sounded scared, but why had he called me? Was I just being unconfident? Or did he think I was really capable of saving him? But still, even if I was, it would have made more sense for Jacob to get in touch with his pack.

B what if he couldn't get in touch with them? That didn't make much sense either; he was missing, they would surely be waiting for any word. But also, if he hadn't been able to get a hold of them, and had called me instead, wouldn't he have asked me to get in touch with them for him?

There were so many possibilities, as well as unsolved mysteries. Nothing made any sense.

I let my mind conjure up Jacob's face, a clear and exact portrait from memory. He was smiling brightly, on the verge of laughing. This had always been my favorite way of seeing Jacob.

But that image mutated horribly a second later, as I imagined him on the ground, his face twisted in pain and his eyes wide with fear. I sat up immediately and felt my strange, new awareness strike again. I didn't need to consult Alice on this one: I knew Jacob was in serious danger.

And that settled it. I went and grabbed my backpack, emptying the contents onto the floor. I grabbed my sock full of money (complete with leftover money from my trip abroad) and some clothes. I shoved them into my bag and rushed to the bathroom. I grabbed my toothbrush, shampoo, and other necessities, not sure if I would even get a chance to use them. It's not like I would be staying in a luxurious hotel; in fact, the best I would get would probably be a river.

I scrambled down the stairs, flinging my backpack on the floor momentarily. I jotted down a quick note to Charlie saying that I was out with friends for the day, and then I rushed out of the house, grabbing an atlas of Charlie's on the way out.

I would deal with the consequences, such as Charlie and Edward's reactions to my disappearance), later. There were more important things to worry about right now.

I yanked open the door to my truck and got in, throwing my bag onto the passenger seat. I backed out of my driveway, and scanning the atlas quickly, went in the direction of Lewiston, Idaho.

I desperately hoped that the atlas would be helpful. I hadn't had time to wait forever for my old computer to start up so that I could consult MapQuest. I also tried not to think of how disappointed Edward would be. Instead, I concentrated on the task at hand: finding Jacob. I turned up the radio loudly to drown out my irritating thoughts and focused on beginning my journey.


	4. Chapter 3: Mysterious Encounter

_Chapter 3: Mysterious Encounter_

The atlas became one of my priorities. And according to Charlie's atlas, I had to go through Port Angeles. I knew my way there, so I put the map aside for the time being and tried to concentrate on driving as fast as I could while still being safe. Part of me wanted to pull over and study the atlas carefully, but that would have to wait. I couldn't let Edward catch me yet.

As if my little precautions would even work! Edward _would_ catch up to me - that was inevitable. There was really nothing I could do to delay him.

Although I was anxious and very much on edge, I couldn't help but start to get bored with my surroundings. Trees and a paved road as far as the eye could see. I was probably only about two hours into my journey when I really started to feel fatigued. I was already sick of driving and craving sleep. It was only about 5 A.M. I had awhile to go.

I sighed, taking a turn, and heading onto a heavily wooded road. And that's where I met my first run in with danger.

There was a bear in the road. It was a huge, black bear, and I don't think I'd ever seen a bear that big. It was menacing, to say the very least, and the darkness made it seem even more frightening.

Panic hit me in the chest as I swerved to the right, desperate not to hit the bear. I knew slamming on the breaks would do no good, but I tried to do so anyway. My mind in a haze from shock as I swerved and my foot felt around desperately for the breaks. I realized too late that instead of stepping on the breaks, I had stepped on the gas.

After a few moments, I felt my truck hit something. My head smacked off of the driver side window.

My first thought, crazily enough, was literally: _that wasn't so bad_. I had honestly thought that the impact would have hurt a little more, or that there would have been more of a crash. My second thought was for the safety of the bear. My head hurt and I instantly reached up to touch my forehead, feeling a trickle of warm blood making its way down the side of my head.

My third thought was fear, fear through my relief. Had I totaled my truck? And what would Charlie say to that?

And then, someone was wrenching my door open and I heard a panicked, familiar voice.

"Bella? Bella!"

"Mmm?" I said incoherently, not really seeing anything, still wrapped up in shock and my own thoughts.

Ice cold hands were pulling me from the seat and onto the scratchy, dirt road. "Bella, are you all right?"

"Is the bear okay?" I asked.

"_Bella_!" The voice sounded exasperated.

I opened my eyes fully and saw Edward, kneeling in front of me, an understandable mixture of fear and anger on his face.

"Bella," he said through gritted teeth. "You broke your promise!"

"What happened?" I asked, wanting to know what I had hit.

"There was a bear in the road, and you swerved and _stepped on the gas_!" Now that he knew I was okay, he was positively fuming. "I stopped your truck before you hit that tree."

A memory from a time that seemed so far away came back to me. "Like you stopped the van," I whispered.

"Bella," Edward said, shrugging out of his long sleeved shirt and ripping the sleeve off in one, easy motion. His voice was a little softer. "What were you thinking? Why did you leave, after you said you wouldn't?" He pressed the cloth against my bleeding forehead and I winced.

"Because," I said, not really knowing what to say to him. Anything I did say would sound wrong anyway. I had no rational reason for leaving in the first place, except for an intense gut feeling.

He stared at me, holding his sleeve to my wound and waiting.

I sighed, frustrated. "You wouldn't understand," I muttered, more to myself than to him. And I really believed he wouldn't. Nothing could justify it for him.

"Try me," he said.

"I just have this…feeling," I said, feeling stupid. "He's in danger, Edward. I can't just sit back. If it were me, he wouldn't just hangout in La Push and wait for Billy or Sam to give him the okay-go."

Edward looked behind him, as if he were trying to decide something…or look for something. I wasn't sure which. Finally, he looked back at me. "I'm coming with you," he said firmly, getting up and helping me to my feet. He gently pulled me to the passenger side and helped me in, making sure I was holding the cloth to my head. Then he got in and we drove off, much too fast.

I stared back at the eerie spot where I could have been seriously injured, or even died, and I felt unexplained chills run down my back. It was only a bear, after all. Sure, bears were scary because they could eat you. But otherwise, it was nothing too out of the ordinary.

So why did I have that edgy feeling, the one I felt when I knew a vampire was hunting me?

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**A/N: I know this chapter was a bit short. And I also kind of feel that this sequel is off to a slow start almost. But it gets better, I promise. And just for the record, I'd like to state that this will not be a Jacob/Bella story - it will continue to be an Edward/Bella story. Just wanted to point that out =)**

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	5. Chapter 4: Change of Direction

_Chapter 4: Change of Direction_

It was only when my little truck started going alarmingly fast, much faster than I thought it was capable of, that I started to worry not how dangerous it was, but if it was fast enough to make it to Jacob in time. I looked over at Edward, who was staring straight ahead, and wondered by what means of transportation he had found me.

"How did you get here?" I asked him.

"The Volvo," he said simply and as I did not see any Volvo in sight, I raised an eyebrow and waited.

He looked over at me quickly. "I drove here with Alice, and when I found you, I followed you on foot for a bit. I knew if you saw the Volvo, you'd get suspicious. So now we're going to meet Alice a few minutes away from here, and she's going to take your truck back."

I sat up straighter immediately, feeling panicked. "Not to my house, right?"

Edward's brows furrowed together. "From your reaction to that, I'm guessing we should probably leave it at my house?"

I nodded.

He sighed. "Bella," he said grimly. "What will Charlie think?"

I didn't want to tell him that I hadn't thought that far yet. I didn't want to tell him how impulsive I had been, how I had left on a whim. He already knew this, but I didn't want to _admit_ it. I stayed silent, staring out the window, and thinking of the bear.

I was starting to think that the bear wasn't even a bear. It could have been that the shock from my near accident hadn't worn off yet, or it could have been I was possibly going insane. It had looked like a bear, but something about it didn't seem right. I couldn't put my finger on what that something was. I tried to fight off the heightening sense of frustration I was feeling.

A few minutes later, we pulled into what looked like an abandoned parking lot (surrounded by trees of course), and I spotted the familiar, silver Volvo, with Alice lounging in the driver's seat. When she saw us approaching, her face brightened, and she was out of the car in a flash.

Edward stopped the truck and I got out. Alice instantly hugged me, as if she hadn't seen me in forever, when it had actually only been a few days. "Bella!" she whispered in her musical voice, and I thought I heard a bit of pride in her voice.

I looked at her questionably when she pulled back, and she winked at me.

Edward had pulled her away for a moment, probably for last minute instructions, and I looked mournfully at my truck, not sure if I was relieved to have a companion or disappointed at having been caught.

After a minute or two, Edward circled around to the passenger side of the Volvo and opened the door. I turned back to Alice, who was heading towards my truck. She shot a glance at Edward, before motioning me over.

"Bella," she whispered, and I wondered why she was whispering, since Edward could probably hear anyway. "Edward isn't going to like me saying this but…" She bit her lip, suppressing a small smile. "I'm very proud of you for being independent and taking charge. But…be safe, please." And with that, she gave me one last, quick hug, and got into my truck.

I turned back to Edward, who did not look happy. Not surprised, I got into his car, and waited. I watched as Alice peeled out of the parking lot in a way that I never knew my truck was capable of. I tried not to feel like a prisoner, reminding myself that this was Edward and I wasn't being held against my will.

Edward peeled out of the parking lot as well, in the opposite direction. I'm sure that what Alice had said had irked him, but he didn't say anything.

Suddenly, something occurred to me. "What did Carlisle say?"

Edward's jaw hardened. "I didn't get a chance to discuss it with him, before Alice asked me where you were going at three in the morning."

I leaned back in the seat, not saying anything. I should have known Alice would have a vision.

This was going to be the hard part. There was probably a good six hours left of the trip and an overwhelming array of emotions were already washing over me. I could feel Edward's disapproval of my departure and of Alice's words, and I wondered if she had tried to aggravate Edward on purpose for some reason. I could feel fear and anxiety at not even knowing if Jacob was alright or not. And I felt an enormous amount of dread at the thought of the long car ride. Normally, before Edward had left, a long car ride with him would have been amazing – I would have spent a week in the car with him, if offered the chance. But now, the dread cancelled that out. It wasn't that I dreaded being in the car with Edward – it was that I dreaded the long, six hours, where I would be completely helpless and slow, and who knows what could happen in six hours?

Eventually, I fell asleep, and when I awoke, Edward informed that it was ten o'clock. I was glad, and very surprised to hear this. I had slept almost four hours, and we'd be at our destination in two hours.

The two hours were pretty much quiet. I was too tired and too worried to talk, and I knew Edward was still not happy with these new turn of events.

And finally, at noon, Edward told me we were in Lewiston, Idaho. I took out my phone and frowned. Jacob had not mentioned any specific spot; he just said that he'd call when it had been about nine hours. I had no missed calls and I tried not to feel alarmed.

And just as I was thinking this, my phone began to vibrate.

I answered it immediately. "Hello?"

"Bella?" It was Jacob. I felt my skin crawl as I heard how hoarse he sounded.

"Jacob!" I whispered. "Jacob, I'm here, in Lewiston."

"Bella…there's been a change."

I hesitated. "What do you mean?"

"I'm not in Lewiston anymore," he whispered.

My mouth dropped open. "Where are you then?"

There was a short pause before Jacob revealed his answer.

"Las Vegas."

I froze and tried to ignore Edward's burning gaze. "Oh Jacob," I whispered, not sure what to think.

"Bella," he said, and I shivered at the pure fear that I heard in every inch of his voice. "I'm so sorry you came all this way for nothing. I can't ask you to come here."

"Are you _kidding_? You think I came all the way here and I'm just going to turn around and go home?"

"Bella…"

"I'm coming."

I heard him inhale. "Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I'll call you sometime tomorrow." His voice was so low it was hard to hear him. "Please be careful. And thank you."

And the conversation ended there.

I turned slowly to look at Edward, although I already knew he heard every word and would be bitter.

I was right.

"No," was all he said. He had pulled over to the side of the road and turned the car off.

"What?" I said incredulously, although I hadn't exactly expected him to say yes.

"Bella, we're turning around and I'm bringing you home."

I gaped at him. "Edward – what? No!"

"Las Vegas? Do you know how suspicious that sounds?" He asked me and I looked away. I was sick of hearing how "suspicious" this all sounded. Yeah, it was weird, but it wasn't uncommon for someone to be held hostage.

"Then I'll go," I told him quietly. "I'll call Alice and ask her to bring my truck back."

Edward glared at me. "Do you honestly believe I'm going to let you go on your own?"

He had started the car and was turning around now. I looked around in panic.

But what could I really do? I was helpless. I pressed my fingers to my forehead, trying to think of some way to either convince Edward to turn around (impossible) or get out. I actually stared at the car door, wondering how much it would hurt if I opened the door and did a clever roll out into the field we were passing. But I knew I would probably die if I did that, and Edward would stop and come after me anyway. And besides, the field was already behind us now. I leaned my head against the window, feeling the cool glass on my forehead, and tried to come up with a plan. I bit back bitter tears of fear and frustration.

"Bella," Edward said quietly, the anger fading from his voice. "Please don't be angry. I'm doing this to keep you safe. It's crazy to go there after him. We need to stay out of this."

I turned and looked at him, but didn't say anything. I couldn't keep the acid out of my stare. He looked pained for a moment, and he reached over and took my hand. I let him. I didn't want to fight, but I had my reasons for being stubborn.

"I can't lose you," he whispered and my own bitterness began to fade.

I thought of Angelo and realized one of the reasons I wanted so badly to go after Jacob. Obviously he was my best friend and I was afraid for him. He was depending on me, as crazy as it sounded.

And someone had saved me not so long ago. I wanted to be the one to save someone now.

I concentrated on the whirring of the trees passing me by, torn between two options. I knew Edward was only doing what he was doing out of love, but something deep inside told me that turning around and leaving Jacob in Las Vegas was a deadly idea.

I sat in silence while Edward drove and I sorted out my options.

I tried to make the right choice.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry it took so long to post this. For the past few days, there was some error on the site and it wouldn't let me post anything. I have some ideas for where this story is going to go, and I'm excited =) I hope everyone still likes it, and thank you for the reviews so far! I really appreciate it.**


	6. Chapter 5: Escape

_Chapter 5: Escape_

In the Volvo, I fidgeted with my phone for quite awhile, trying to figure out what to do. Since I obviously couldn't get out on my own, I actually considered calling Charlie or Billy. It would be better than doing absolutely nothing at all.

Eventually, I asked Edward to stop at a nearby gas station. I had decided a bathroom break was necessary, and I needed to think for a moment without Edward's presence throbbing around me.

But when I came out, I heard something that felt like a burning, stab in the back. I had been softening up a little, surrendering to Edward's voice of reason, but now, I felt that vanish.

Edward must have thought I was going to take longer than I did, because he was leaning against the Volvo, his back to me. He was on his cell phone. I stood behind him, my arms crossed, as I listened to his slightly anguished, low tone.

"Alice, that's not even possible!...You can't possibly be angry about that…Well, I don't know what to do, it doesn't sound right…have you seen anything?...No! There is no way I'm turning back…No, I'm no letting her go by herself…she wouldn't be able to take care of herself, she'd surely get into some kind of trouble, or hurt herself…I can't let her do that…"

I'd heard enough. I backed away slowly, enough so that I could make sure he didn't see me, and then I disappeared behind the gas station building, back towards the bathrooms.

I was fuming. How dare he? Did he really think so low of me, that I couldn't do anything right, that I couldn't do anything for myself? Did he think I was that much of a pathetic human that I couldn't survive alone in a stressful situation? I searched desperately for an escape. I wasn't going back with him. His words had set my decision in stone. I was going to Vegas and I was going to save Jacob, come hell or high water.

Trees surrounded the little gas station and I from all sides. It seemed like the only way out, and I felt anxiety raining down on me, increasing my adrenaline and my determination. I had to move fast, because surely Edward would be wondering where I was very soon. Taking one last glance towards the direction of the Volvo, I took off at a sprint. The forest was actually a hill, but thankfully, a small one. I raced up it, stumbling all the way, refusing to look back. I wasn't sure if he saw me or not and I knew I couldn't possibly get far. The scent of my blood was so strong to him; he'd find me in no time. But I had to try.

I didn't even care that I'd left my bag behind and that I had no atlas anymore. I'd go through this forest and eventually find some kind of way. I'd do whatever it took. But I wasn't going back. Not to Edward's little safety bubble, I thought sarcastically. I was independent and I could do things on my own. _Ugh!_ I repeated to myself, again and again, disgusted.

I'd forgotten how much I hated hiking and just walking in the forest in general. I forgot how uncoordinated I really was. This was not going to be easy.

I slowed to a walk a few times, completely out of breath. But I took off at a run, or at least a jog, occasionally, afraid I was being watched. I thought of the bear and tried not to feel terrified. Perhaps leaving had been stupid, dangerous, and impulsive, but what Edward's words had hurt.

After running for what seemed like forever, I stopped and leaned against a tree, gasping desperately for air. Tears burned my eyes, from the wind in my face and from the irritating sense of betrayal I felt. Edward and I had been doing so well. We hadn't been completely back to normal, but we had been getting there. And now it felt like we had taken three, gigantic steps back.

Truthfully, I was sick of adventures; first, the big ordeal with James, and then the huge chase across the world with Victoria. I wondered how I could possibly be so unlucky when it came to safety.

I began to trudge through the woods, losing the will to run and the will to fight all together. And just when I thought I'd be roaming around the forest for perhaps a week at least, I saw light. I felt the faintest feeling of relief, as I picked up the pace and stepped out of the forest, and onto a paved road. It looked like a main road, yet there was no one around.

I brought my fingers to my temples, trying to think. There was nothing but the forest on one side of the road, and a large meadow on the other side that went on as far as the eye could see. There was no real sign of life around.

Dismayed, I began to walk along the side of the road, so that I was at least going somewhere. I had to make it to Jake by tomorrow, and I didn't even know where I was. I dug my phone out of my pocket and flipped it open. It was almost two in the afternoon. I sighed. This was truly the longest day of my life in every sense. I had probably been in the forest for about an hour. I was surprised I hadn't run into Edward yet.

A car passed me at that moment and I tensed up, hoping that it wasn't a certain, silver Volvo. But it was only a run-down pick-up truck, and a strange, lime green one at that. I thought about people who hitchhiked all over the country and decided that that wasn't even an option. It wasn't safe. I snorted. As if what I was doing was safe anyway.

I walked on and on, considering calling someone. But who could I call? I thought about calling Alice. Maybe she would bring my truck to me and even come along with me. But there was a very good chance that she would be opposed to what I had done, even though she herself was angry with Edward. I couldn't think of why she was angry at Edward in the first place and I wondered what had happened. There was also a good chance that Edward would find out where I was if I called her. He could read minds, after all.

Maybe I could call Angela or Jessica, and they'd MapQuest my destination for me. But how could that really help, if I didn't even know where I was in the first place? There was no need to alarm them anyway and there was the chance that Charlie could find out from them what was going on.

After about a half an hour or so, I came upon yet another gas station. This one was a little bigger and a lot busier. Glad to see any sign of civilization, I wandered into the parking lot, trying to decide what my next course of action would be.

It was then that a few different things happened.

I saw a silver car that looked a lot like a Volvo approaching on the horizon. I saw a strange looking bear hovering at the edge of the forest. And I realized I had left my sock of money in Edward's car.

I immediately felt foolish. What had I done? And more importantly, what was I going to do now?


	7. Chapter 6: Jasper

_Chapter 6: Jasper_

For a moment, I stood rooted to the spot, frozen with panic, fear, and indecision. A voice in my head screamed frantically at me to move, but really, where was I going to move to? I couldn't retreat back into the woods because that creepy looking bear was there. And I couldn't walk away, on the road, again because I was almost positive that that was Edward coming towards the gas station. And I didn't exactly want to go into the gas station either, because I had no money and I would just look suspicious.

Finally, I moved to the side of the building, pressing myself against the cool brick, holding my breath. A few different things could happen right now. I could get attacked by a bear or I could get captured by Edward. Neither sounded promising.

I noticed then that I was trembling slightly. I couldn't see anything and I wondered if Edward had seen me and if he had pulled into the gas station lot yet. I didn't dare look. Instead, I waited.

And that's when someone came around the corner. I jumped, instantly expecting the worst.

To my complete surprise, I saw Jasper. And to my even greater surprise, I realized I was very, very happy to see him. I shouldn't have been happy to see any Cullen at that moment, especially one that could potentially inform Edward of my whereabouts, but after the long trek through the woods and on the road in the middle of nowhere, I was thrilled.

"Jasper?" I asked timidly, and he grinned. I did not. Instead, I looked at him incredulously, wondering what was going on.

"Hello, Bella."

"What – how, did you get here?"

"I drove," he said simply, shrugging and leaning against the brick building next to me, as if we were just having a casual conversation, hiding behind the gas station.

"Did Edward send you?" I asked suspiciously.

"No," Jasper said seriously. "But I could ask you where Edward is, since I assumed you were with him?"

"Not anymore," I said bitterly, for a moment forgetting how dumb it had been to run away, and instead focusing on what Edward had said.

"You're by yourself?" Jasper asked, although I'm sure he already knew the answer to that.

"Yes," I said, longing to ask him what state I was in, but not wanting to give myself away.

"Where are you heading?" Jasper asked casually, and I had to admit, I felt very calm at that moment. It could have been that he was making me feel that way intentionally since that was his gift, but I also believed that it was just in his nature, too. He was usually pretty calm himself and I liked that. I liked how he didn't pry too much into what was going on. He didn't panic and he didn't make a big deal of things.

It reminded me of earlier in the summer, when I had escaped from the Cullens in France and gotten on a plane to Italy. Jasper had accompanied me. He hadn't tried to talk me out of it and he hadn't tried to force me to stay. He's simply gone along with me, as my traveling companion, making me feel safe and entertaining me.

"Las Vegas," I said, feeling foolish again. No car, no money, no sense of direction, and trying to get to Vegas.

Jasper nodded. "Would you like a ride?"

I stared at him. "You're going to let me go?"

"Sure."

"And you're going to come?"

"If you want me to," Jasper said quietly.

"I do," I informed him. "But I could have sworn I saw Edward's car…"

He motioned to me to follow him, and we began the walk to the car. I saw that it was silver, but definitely not a Volvo. My panic had probably caused me to hallucinate. "It probably looked like Edward's car from far away," Jasper pointed out.

"Is this yours?" I asked, as I got in the passenger side.

"No," Jasper replied and smiled slightly. I knew that Jasper didn't have a car and often used Carlisle's if he needed to get somewhere, so I was a bit puzzled. I wondered if he had stolen it in his haste. I smiled to myself.

We pulled out of the gas station and began to drive in the direction that I had walked from. I realized that I had been going the wrong way the whole time.

"How did you know I was here?" I asked him as I stared at the familiar trees and road that I had seen just minutes before.

"I got a call from Alice," Jasper explained. "She had been arguing with Edward on the phone, and I guess not long after, he realized he couldn't find you. So she told me and I set out here."

There was a short silence while I worked up the nerve to ask my burning question.

"Are we still in Idaho?" I asked him.

"Yes," Jasper said, staring straight ahead. He was driving fast, but not as fast as Edward usually drove. "I went to the gas station that you and Edward had been at, and I figured you went into the woods. I calculated where it came out and drove around, and sure enough, there you were."

"Does Edward know?"

"He might," Jasper said thoughtfully. "Or if he doesn't, he will. I told Alice I was coming to find you."

"And you're not at all opposed to going to Vegas with me?"

Jasper shook his head. "No. I do agree with Edward, that it sounds weird. But I won't let anything happen to you." He turned to me and smiled, and I smiled back gratefully.

"Thanks, Jasper."

"Anytime," he replied.

I leaned against the warm leather seat and stared at the scenery as we passed it by. I suddenly felt exhausted again and I started to drift off to sleep slowly. The last thing I remember doing was asking Jasper how much longer until we were there and feeling slightly miffed by his reply of fifteen hours. On that note I fell asleep, vaguely remembering the strange bear before I slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize in advance that this is turning out to be another "Bella runs away from Edward" story. I just love writing those though. I think it's fun and strengthens their bond. Ah, the drama. And as always, I love any feedback!**


	8. Chapter 7: Las Vegas

_Chapter 7: Las Vegas_

I didn't like being on the plane to Vegas.

For one thing, it reminded me way too much of my earlier summer adventure, and the fear and frustration I had felt on every single plane ride I had taken at that point in time. And this didn't seem that different. I was on the run again.

I tried not to think of Edward, and instead, thought of Jacob. Intense anxiety surged through my veins as I wondered if he was okay, if he had been harmed. Fifteen hours was a very long time. Who knew what could happen in that amount of time?

I was mostly silent during the plane ride, sleeping when I could manage to and talking to Jasper when the anxiety became too much to bear. It seemed like it would never end, like we would never really get to Vegas. But somehow, we did.

Between flying and driving, we arrived sometime in the morning, around seven. The whole trip was really just an unnecessary and tedious blur. Jasper and I checked into a hotel and I crawled into bed to sleep, but not without taking my phone with me. I was expecting to hear from Jacob very soon.

And when I awoke around noon and I hadn't heard anything, I began to openly panic.

I yanked open the curtains and looked out at the dazzling city of Las Vegas. I'd never been to Vegas before and I wish I could have enjoyed it. But that wasn't going to happen. I was chasing danger and I still had no idea where my best friend was.

The sun was bright and high, and I knew it was hot out. I could practically see the heat in the air, rising from the ground and into the light blue sky. I looked at the tourists already flooding the streets and the tall, decorative buildings as far as the eye could see.

I felt like I would possibly combust if I didn't do something.

But what could I do? Jacob said he would be in Vegas, but what if his captors had moved him again? And besides, it was a big city, he could literally be _anywhere_. But I had to try. I couldn't just sit in the hotel room and wait.

I found Jasper in the little parlor that was connected to the bedroom. He didn't seem to be doing anything particularly and when I came in, he immediately gave me his full attention. I moved to stand next to the door.

"Can we go out, please?" I asked him, my stomach burning impatiently with panic.

"Sure," Jasper said uncertainly, apparently a bit concerned at my appearance and probably feeling my panic. "Where do you want to go?"

"Anywhere," I replied, already opening the door and stepping into the elaborately carpeted hallway.

We made our way to the elevator and once we were inside, I checked my phone again. Nothing. I found it a bit strange that I had no calls – no Jacob, no Edward, no Charlie. I was almost worried that my phone wasn't working properly but I knew that couldn't be the case. My phone was fine.

It was once we stepped out of the hotel that my phone began to vibrate. I flipped it open immediately. "Hello?" I asked eagerly.

"Bella." It was Jacob. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jacob, I'm here in Vegas. Where are you?"

"Bellagio Hotel," he muttered, before I heard a scuffle and the line went dead.

And it was at that moment that I realized I was truly afraid. I had to get to this hotel, but really, what would I do once I got there? Where would he be?

It was also then that I realized I had another problem on my hands. How would Jasper travel with me? The sun was high in the sky, shining its hot light on everything in the open. I turned and saw that he had already stepped deep into the shadows.

"Where's the Bellagio Hotel?" I asked him, while trying to get my other question through to him by my expression.

"It's not far," Jasper told me and I was once again impressed by how well he knew every place we went. He pointed straight ahead. "Follow the street. It's a huge building, with a fountain. You won't be able to miss it."

I stared at him. Those were vague directions and I was almost certain I'd never be able to find this hotel.

"Trust me," he said in a low voice. "You'll know it when you see it. I'll meet you there, once I find a way around. But Bella, don't go in yet. Wait for me and please, be careful." He put a cold, comforting hand on my shoulder, before turning and disappearing around the corner.

I took a deep breath and stepped into the hot sun. After the cold and damp climate of Forks, this was almost unbearable for a moment. It was so unbelievably hot. But I had lived in a hot place before and so as I walked at a fast pace, I grew accustomed to it. And besides, I had more important things to worry about, like Jacob. After a few moments, I quickened my pace, until I was running. Not particularly fast, since it wouldn't benefit me if I fell down right now. But I had to move.

And Jasper was right. I saw a huge building, a white-grey color, with a blue roof and what seemed like dozens of endless black windows on every inch of it. That had to be it. I ran on, looking for Jasper. And as I had almost reached the Bellagio Hotel, something moved to block my bath.

Fear seized me from every direction as I came face to face with the strange, frightening bear from Idaho.

I froze, not sure what to do. At that moment, it seemed like the bear and I were the only living things on the strip. I tuned everything else out and could only hear the heavy breathing of the beast. And it was menacing, as it bared its teeth. Its eyes were a dark, ruby red and it had begun to growl.

I didn't move. I would rather see the brutal thing charging at me, than have my back turned and not know at what moment it would strike. At least this way, I could brace myself for it. It's not like running away would do any good anyway.

All I could feel was the hot sun, burning me, and the unbearable shock that was keeping me rooted to the spot. The thing, this "bear", was truly not a bear at all. It was terrifying, like something out of a horror movie. It was a wolf all right, but it didn't look like anything Jacob or his pack was. In fact, it looked ten times worse. And it was about to attack.

And somewhere, over the low growls of the wolf, I heard someone yelling my name. I turned, numb, and saw Edward sprinting towards me. And my mouth dropped open in shock as I completely forgot the wolf for a few seconds and reality came back in a nauseating rush.

Edward was running in my direction, and even though he was still far away, I could see his skin sparkling in the sun like rare diamonds. People around him stood and stared, some confused, some shocked, and some scared. I realized then that he had exposed himself to save me.

"Run, Bella!" he shouted at me, but I could only stare in wonder at the wolf, and then back at him. And then I felt something hard hit me and I fell to the ground…about fifteen feet away from the wolf.

I opened my eyes, feeling dizzy, as I stared into Edward's liquid, topaz gaze. He had obviously been the one to knock me out of the way.

"Stop right there," someone said from behind us and Edward's eyes dimmed a bit. He stared at me intently, as if trying to communicate something with his eyes, but I could only stare at him in shock.

And at that moment, two cloaked figures were dragging him off of me. For one instant, I unconsciously clung to his shirt, but the fabric slipped easily out of my fingers. I watched in horror as these two figures wrenched Edward's hands behind his back brutally, handcuffing him, and a third hooded figure smiled apologetically at the stunned crowd.

"No matter!" he said cheerfully. "Just the village freak – theatrics, I assure you! Nothing to be alarmed about, go about with your day!" And with that, he turned sharply on his heel, motioning to the other two figures to follow.

Edward snarled at them, before turning and looking at me again. I was still on the ground and the wolf was nowhere to be seen. The resentment left Edward's face for a moment as he stared at me, and mouthed, "Run!"

I shook my head and Edward continued to look at me desperately. And then, the hooded figures were leading him away. I watched with a heavy heart as they lead him away in chains, because of me. I longed to run after them, but something in Edward's eyes told me not to.

My hand dropped to the pavement and I felt a pleasantly smooth object on the ground. I turned my gaze away from the departing figures and Edward for a moment, to see a red rose on the ground. It was as flat as a pancake. I looked back up and saw Edward, his eyes full of fury for the figures leading him away, and sadness at…what else?

I grabbed the rose as memories of earlier that summer came rushing back. I thought of my box of roses at home and of Edward and his love as I held the rose to my heart, feeling utterly lost and hopeless. Tears burned my eyes as everything came crashing down on me. I had no idea what I was doing, I had no idea where Jacob was, and Edward was being led away…to where? Would he be imprisoned? I wondered if he'd come to apologize and that was the purpose of the rose and it made me feel even worse to know that his intentions had been good, and now he was in trouble.

At that moment, I felt Jasper gently pulling me to my feet. Edward and the cloaked figures had disappeared. I let Jasper lead me to the hotel and I tried not to feel the shocked stares of the tourists surrounding us. I suddenly felt very weak and very old. I looked up at the grand, enormous hotel and wondered with dread what it held in store for me.

As I held the rose tightly in my grasp, I realized that this was far from over.

* * *

**A/N: I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in weeks. School has started again and I officially have no life, thanks to homework. I really wish I could update every day, but for now, I don't think that will always be the case. But I'm not giving up on my story and I will never leave one unfinished. And so, I will get the next chapter out ASAP and I hope everyone likes this chapter. Reviews motivate me and are always appreciated. =)**


	9. Chapter 8: Revelations

_Chapter 8: Revelations_

I felt an overwhelming feeling of cold comfort wash over me once we were back in the shadows, away from the unbearable glare of the sun. It was at that moment that I noticed Jasper was wearing a cloak of some kind. He had come to help me after Edward was led off and he couldn't be exposed, I realized. But it only made the situation seem stranger. I looked back out at the square in front of the hotel and saw that people had began to talk amongst themselves excitedly. No doubt they were discussing the rabid werewolf that had tried to attack the girl, and the sparkling man who had tried to save her, and the cloaked hoodlums who had dragged him away.

I was suddenly very tired. I didn't want to do this anymore. I wanted to go back home, where nothing ever happened. I wanted everyone I loved safe and sound, immersed in the normalness of everyday life. I didn't want to be here in this hot, dangerous city, chasing after my best friend and now, the vampire that I was in love with.

Jasper took my hand and led me into the hotel and I knew I had no choice.

The Bellagio Hotel was astounding, to say the very least. We stepped into a brightly lit – and absolutely gorgeous – lobby and I almost forgot about the worries that were plaguing me. It was almost palace-like, with its pristine white arches and its marble, shiny floor. I wished that I could have sunk into one of the plush, white couches that were centered in the middle, and sleep away my misery, but Jasper was leading me onwards. We slipped into a very distinguished elevator and I tried to fight the feeling of dismay that nearly crushed me when Jasper pressed the button for us to go to the 36th floor.

I wanted to ask Jasper how he knew exactly where we were going, but my throat was dry and I was sure I couldn't formulate any coherent words or sentences. All I could do was wait and wonder, possibly one of the worst combinations ever.

Finally, we stepped into an elegant hallway, and Jasper led me to a room all the way to the end of the hall. But who was he leading me to? He knocked sharply on the door and it opened immediately. Jasper gently pushed me into the room, as he stepped in behind me and closed the door.

And what I found in the room was enough to shock, annoy, and dumbfound me all at the same time. I began to wonder if this was all some kind of joke.

The room itself was large and it would have been beautiful if I had been there under any other circumstances. Two large queen beds made up the majority of the room and even through my Converse, I felt the softness of the mesh, white carpet. Weird art hung on the walls and the curtains were closed. Only two lamps were lit, making the room very dim.

The room was crowded, even more so with the arrival of Jasper and I. I looked around at the faces that were now staring back at me.

The three hooded figures from the street were there, only they weren't hooded anymore. It was easy for me to distinguish immediately that they were vampires. One sat comfortably in a white chair directly next to the door, and it made me vaguely uncomfortable. Another one leaned against the wall next to the window, and the third stood next to the bed, on the other side of the door.

Edward sat on the bed closest to the door, his hands still handcuffed behind his back. He looked beyond furious, but when he saw me, his expression softened a bit, especially when his gaze dropped to my hand, which still held his flattened rose.

On the bed closest to the window sat Jacob, who looked positively and utterly annoyed beyond belief. When he saw me, his eyes widened and I wasn't sure if he was surprised or relieved.

And finally, Alice sat next to Edward on the bed, although she was not chained in any way. Nevertheless, I felt Jasper tense up next to me.

Every one was silent for a long moment, before the vampire next to the door spoke, his voice as smooth as silk. Despite his attempt at a friendly tone, I couldn't help but feel the urge to recoil.

"Hello, Bella," was all he said, but it felt like a stab in the chest. I couldn't think clearly and I couldn't recognize why I felt so threatened.

I didn't say anything…what could I say? I could only look around the room one more time, before letting my gaze fall to the lavish carpeted floor.

"Allow me to introduce myself," the vampire in the chair went on, rising. I noted that he was quite aristocratic looking, with slicked back black hair and red eyes. "I am Aro." He gestured to the vampire next to the window. "This is Caius." I noted that his hair was blonde, his look prominent. "And this," Aro pointed to the other side of the door, "is Marcus." Marcus looked a lot like Aro, I thought, although he looked older and quite evil.

Again, I did not know what to say, but Edward saved me from saying anything by speaking himself.

"Otherwise known as the Volturi," he said through clenched teeth, his eyes never leaving Aro's face. I saw Alice bite her lip to keep from saying anything and look at the floor. And then something sparked in my memory.

The Volturi. Now where had I heard that before?

A time that seemed so far away came back to me. The time of my 18th birthday, when I had sat with Edward in my living room as I watched _Romeo & Juliet_. A time before anything had changed so terribly, before my nightmare had begun. Edward had spoke of their power and how they resided in Italy.

So if they resided in Italy, then what were they doing here?

The room was tense, filled with an uncomfortable silence. Aro looked at both of his counterparts, before opening the door for them. I moved out of the way and grudgingly, they walked out. Aro looked back at every one of us.

"We are in need of…refreshment," his smile was sick. "We will leave you to discuss this among yourselves. I'm sure the others will have no problem with filling you in," he said to me. And with that, they were gone.

As soon as the door closed, Jacob perked up. "Should we try and run for it?"

Alice glared at him. "_No_, we shouldn't try and run for it. What good would that do?"

Jacob scowled but said no more.

"What's going on?" I asked them anxiously. "Why are they here?"

"To make a very long story short," Alice said. "Somehow, they were informed of the whole ordeal with Victoria and Angelo. They know you're a human and that you're close to us. And since you're a human and you know all about the vampire world and our secrets, you're a serious threat. And instead of demanding we go to Italy, they came here to make their authority known."

"They're here because of me?" I asked, dread circulating within my gut.

Alice nodded.

I turned to Jacob. "How did you get here? Were you with them the entire time?"

Jacob nodded.

"That's why they kidnapped him," Alice pointed out, before being interrupted by Jacob.

"I was _not_ kidnapped," he said defensively. "I was stolen."

Alice made a face at him.

"But why?" I asked.

"They know of your connection, of how close you were," Alice continued. "And so they used him as bait."

Jacob looked disgusted. "I was in the woods the other day, when they attacked me. They were too strong, I couldn't fight them…" He trailed off, almost ashamed, before picking up his story again. "They forced me to call you, to try and lure you to them. And I had no choice. They said they had another one of them stationed near La Push, that they'd harm my father. I had no way to warn anyone there."

My confusion turned to anger. "And what were they planning to do with me once I got here? What will they do now?"

Edward, who had quietly been staring at the ground the entire time, now looked up. "They were going to take you, but now they are willing to barter with us."

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"There are two choices," Edward explained quietly. "Either we turn you into…one of us or…they kill you."

Horrified, I shrunk back, only to collide with the wall. There had been a time when I had wanted to become what Edward was so badly, that I would have readily given up mortality in a second. But after he had left, after I had gone through that terrible depression, after I had begun to doubt everything, I wasn't so sure anymore. Things were better between us, but there was still some part of me that doubted what we had. And I couldn't help but think now…what if he left again? Could I really survive, being immortal, for the rest of all time, alone without him, or knowing that he didn't really want me?

"No," I whispered, just as Jacob jumped to his feet and said louder, "No!"

"Bella," Edward said, ignoring Jacob. "What else can we do?"

"Isn't there another way?" I pleaded, before straightening up and staring at him, making my tone strong, although it still shook. "Wasn't there a time when you didn't want that? When you would have never let that happen?"

"Yes," Edward admitted. "But…I won't let them kill you, Bella, and there is no other way. We can't defy them…they are the law for us."

Jacob looked just as horrified as I did. He was shaking his head. "Bella, don't do it," he whispered. "Don't let them."

"There's no choice!" Alice spat at him.

I reached for the door, not really aware of what I was doing, but Jasper placed a hand on my shoulder. "They're probably outside listening," he whispered in my ear, and I dropped my hand.

"Bella, please, just think about this," Edward said, his voice pained. "I didn't want this for you but if it's the only way to keep you here with me, to give you _life_…"

"That is no kind of life!" Jacob said angrily and Alice sprang to her feet.

"Stop," Jasper said quietly. "We can't let them think we're divided. That will make us weak."

I looked at Edward, my throat thick. "I don't want that," I whispered brokenly. "I won't." Jacob let out a breath, and Edward's face fell, as the pain he was trying to hide showed evidently on every inch of his face.

And at that moment, the door opened.


	10. Chapter 9: Who Wants to Live Forever?

_Chapter 9: Who Wants to Live Forever?_

That had all happened yesterday; the scene in the square with Edward, the reunion with Jacob, and the dreadful news that I would have to be turned into a vampire or die. Shortly after, the members of the Volturi had paraded us onto a private jet and back to Washington. They flew us to an elegant villa that was indeed in Washington, but still a good distance away from Forks. Here, they kept us, so that we could make our decision. I didn't ask how they had gotten access to this villa. I didn't think I wanted to know.

I remember stepping out of the jet and being mesmerized. It was like something straight out of an old romance novel. There was a large amount of property and every inch of it was carpeted with beautifully trim green grass. It was hidden from view by numerous trees, all of them tall and mighty. The only thing that unnerved me was how dark the forest was.

The house itself was very large and grand, and white as a pearl. It was a Victorian-like house, with about four or five stories. If I were here under different circumstances, I would have fallen in love with the place.

But as it was, I was here in the most uncomfortable circumstances and I dragged myself across the beautiful lawn and up the elegant steps onto the porch, and into what was surely a prison disguised as a beautiful sanctuary.

We were informed that we had a deadline. We were generously given three days to think this over, although the Volturi stressed that there really was nothing to think about. But we were to talk amongst ourselves, to figure out if I would rather become a vampire or die. Was it really that simple? Was it really just in those black and white terms? Wasn't there a medium, perhaps an agreement that could be worked out?

We were each given a bedroom, but I couldn't sleep. I was too frightened of the three new vampires and spent the night with the warm glow of the lamp silhouetting the room. Part of me wanted to go find Edward, to feel safe. But now that I knew what he wanted, I was afraid.

I thought out all of this, the past day or so, as I sat wistfully on an old tire swing attached to a lonely tree in the front yard. I had left my bag with Edward a few days ago, and had no clothes, so Alice had lent me a white sundress. I matched the house and I think it made me look rather dramatic, almost from another time period.

Now I swung, not really seeing my surroundings…just my demons. I suppose I was being foolish. It would have probably been better to be turned into something, rather than just die. I thought of Charlie and Renee and what it would do to them if they found out I had suddenly died. But what about the long run? If I stayed alive, in the form of a vampire, I would outlive everyone. I would never die. And really, who wants to live forever?

At that moment, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, accompanied by a rustle in the woods. My heart immediately rose into my throat, as I thought of first, the three vampires, and also the terrifying wolf from the day before. It had just disappeared and I had no idea where it was. But it couldn't have made it all the way to Washington by foot…or paw rather....this fast, could it?

I turned and saw Edward walking from the house. I turned away immediately, not just because I didn't want to speak about my fate with him, but because he was just so beautiful. He was dressed all in black, his smooth, pale skin standing out in striking contrast. His liquid, topaz eyes were burning.

I stared straight ahead, into the woods. I thought about how after Angelo died, things had almost gone back to normal with Edward and me. For awhile, it had been as if he had never left me. But the fact that he had left was still there, and as we settled back into a normal routine, it remained there. Had it divided us, despite our efforts? Had it eroded our relationship, without us really knowing it? No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong.

Edward sat next to me. The fact that he sat made me feel a tiny bit better, since this made me taller than him and gave me an advantage.

Who was I kidding? I had no advantage.

I didn't say anything and for awhile, neither did he. Minutes went by in a blur. I had stopped swinging, and now just sat, clinging to the swing.

After awhile, he spoke in the softest of voices. He didn't sound angry, just…sad.

"I don't know how to help you anymore, Bella."

It probably shouldn't have bothered me, but it did. It felt like a knife had been driven into my back. Did he mean he didn't want to help me anymore?

"What do you mean?" I asked him, not moving my gaze from the tree I had been staring aimlessly at.

"You won't let me help you," he said simply and it hurt to hear the pain in his voice. I didn't like the way he made it sound…like I was a hopeless case.

"What are you talking about, Edward?" I asked him. "I do let you help me."

"But you _don't_, Bella," Edward said, his tone bitter. "Think about it."

"I'd rather not think about anything."

Edward moved so that he was kneeling in front of me, so quickly that I was caught off guard. "Why Bella?" he asked tightly. "Why do you keep running away from everything?"

"Everything?" I echoed icily.

"Yes, everything. You run away from me, from painful situations, from your own thoughts."

I glared at him. Again, a hopeless case is what he was making me sound like. "Okay, then," I said angrily. "Help me, if I'm such a basket case."

"Why'd you run away that day at the gas station?" Edward asked suddenly.

"Because of what you said about me! How I can't take care of myself, how I'd get into trouble. Edward, I'm not the completely pathetic, helpless, useless human being you make me out to be."

"Don't say that," he whispered. "Don't you _ever_ say that. You know I don't think of you that way."

"I don't know anything. I don't know how you think." I untangled myself from the tire swing, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me down next to him, ignoring my irritated struggles.

"Bella," he said firmly. "We have a decision to make. And we have to make it soon."

"I'm not doing it," I said stubbornly.

"No, not that," he said irritably. "You don't have a choice on that. You're definitely being turned. The decision we have to make is, who is going to be the one to do it."

"What do you mean, I'm definitely being turned? What if I don't want that?"

"You want to die?" he asked me coldly. "You'd really just rather cease to exist?"

I couldn't say anything to that. Of course I didn't want to die. I let my guard down for a moment, as I concentrated on the sensations around me. The cool breeze against my skin, the soft grass against my thighs, the safe feeling I felt around Edward.

"I'm scared," I told him truthfully.

"Of the pain?" he asked, his voice a little softer.

I nodded, feeling foolish. It wasn't just normal pain though. I knew this would be pain of the utmost worst kind.

"Bella," he whispered. "I won't lie to you…it will hurt. But we'll be with you. We'll help you through it."

I didn't say anything, and he sighed. After a few moments, he spoke again.

"Will you let me be the one to do it?" he asked.

Tears burned my eyes. I got to my feet and he didn't stop me this time. "I don't know," I whispered. I walked away quickly, trying not to think about how much that answer had probably hurt him. I needed more time to think. I still had three more days.

Before they turned me, I wanted to see if there was an alternative.

The overwhelming questions pulled at every corner of my mind, but one yanked harder than the rest. It was the one I had been trying not to think of, the one that was so alarmingly pessimistic, that I was sure it would drive me insane. But now I realized why I was so afraid to be around Edward. I realized why I was afraid to trust him, to depend on him. I was afraid of our relationship was already dying. And I couldn't bear to be what he was if I couldn't be with him.

I tried not to think of the question, but I thought it anyway. It was a lyric right out of a Queen song.

_Who wants to live forever…when love must die?_

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**A/N: I love the band Queen and had to throw in the reference, because while writing this entire chapter, that song was stuck in my head. It's a beautiful song too; it fits. Thank you for the reviews! I love feedback. =)**


	11. Chapter 10: Unexpected Attack

_Chapter 10: Unexpected Attack_

And from that moment forth, that is exactly what I became sure of: that love must die, and that mine and Edward's was already slipping down that heartbreaking path.

Day one was almost up. I tried to find comfort in the fact that I still had two more days to come up with some kind of plan, but I knew those days would fly by just as fast as today did.

This is how I found myself sitting with Jasper that evening, in the backyard on the lawn. I needed a calm presence and Jasper was indeed the only calm person around. Edward was clearly on edge, always trying to talk about my transformation. Alice also was anxious, and although she didn't like the idea, she tended to side with Edward. Jacob was afraid, always trying to convince me not to go along with it, to try and find an alternative. Jasper was the only one who stayed quiet, who stayed sane, and who stayed real.

The three vampires kept to themselves in the cellar, and although I hadn't seen them in a day, it still unnerved me that they were in the same house as me. This is why I tended to spend a lot of time outside.

Now I stared at the sun, which was slowly making its way behind the trees in a beautiful pink and orange sunset. I sighed, wishing I could find some kind of peace. Although I still desperately hoped to find an alternative, I was slowly losing hope.

In two days, I would be in pain, one way or the other.

"Jasper?" I asked softly, needing to shrug off some of my crippling anxiety.

"Yes?" he replied in his familiar, laid-back way, still staring at the sunset.

"What do _you_ think I should do?" I had heard from everyone…everyone except him.

He thought about this for a moment, before turning towards me. "Bella, I honestly don't know," he said quietly. "I can tell you one thing – I don't want you dead. But I don't want you to be forced into this type of existence…" he gestured towards himself, "…and unhappy as a result."

"Why can't I go free?" I asked in a whisper. "Why can't they trust that I'm not going to reveal their secrets?"

"I guess Edward and Alice already pleaded with them on that issue," Jasper said with a frown. "They weren't so keen on it. They aren't exactly forgiving."

I lifted my hands to my head, and it was only then that I realized I was shaking.

"Bella," Jasper said gently, taking my hand. "It'll be all right. I can tell you one thing, you aren't going to die. And we're all trying to think of some other way to get out of this. But if you do need to be turned, then we'll all be there with you. We won't let you walk that road alone."

"Thanks, Jasper," I whispered, even more terrified, yet grateful.

"Why don't you relax?" Jasper suggested, as the last traces of sunlight began to disappear. "Nothing has to be decided tonight. Do something you like to do…shower, read, write, anything."

Although I really just wanted to lie down and drown in my own self-pity, I nodded. "All right," I agreed, as I let Jasper help me up and lead me to the beautiful house that I now dreaded being in.

I decided to go with the shower option, since I couldn't possibly concentrate long enough on anything else. The bathroom on the fourth floor was…wonderful. There was no other word for it. It was a large bathroom, and it seemed like every inch of it was a finely polished marble. The floor itself was a shiny, white marble and one side held a green marbled sink, with a huge mirror above it. The other side of the bathroom held a green marble bathtub (also very large), while in between these two sides, on the opposite wall from the door, was a floor length mirror looking out at the backyard.

I walked slowly to the tub and turned on the shower, which was pretty modern for a Victorian-styled house. I sat on the edge of the tub and waited for the water to warm up. I didn't bother getting out of Alice's white sundress. There was something about being nude in this house that I did not like. I was probably just being paranoid, but it was true. I wanted to always be on my guard.

I slid into the tub in a sitting position, yanking the curtain closed. I laid back and let the hot water run over my body, soothing me externally, but not internally. I knew Alice wouldn't mind a wet dress. And so I lay down completely on my side and curled into a little ball. Pathetic, I thought. But I was suddenly so tired and so overwhelmed, that it seemed like the only thing to do.

I tried not to think. I didn't want to think about the three vampires about four stories down, the fact that I was drifting away from Edward, the fact that I would either be the dead, or the living dead, in two days. Instead, I concentrated on the hot water. No matter how much I adjusted it, it never seemed hot enough.

And it was at that moment, that I heard a huge crash…the sound of breaking glass. I sat up immediately and froze. The breaking glass could have possibly come from the mirror, but I doubted it.

It had to have been the window.

I knew I couldn't sit and hide in the shower, although I wanted to. Trembling, I reached up and turned off the water, before pulling myself to a standing position. And then, I pulled the curtain open…

…and nearly went into shock at what I saw.

Standing amidst the broken glass was the evil-looking werewolf that I had been seeing these past few days. It looked angry and it looked hungry. And now I was alone with it, and I had no escape. I pressed myself against the marble wall of the shower, my throat dry, as I tried to breathe. I stared at in disbelief, wondering what kind of creature this was, that it could easily jump four stories up through a window.

It walked slowly towards me, as a low rumbling noise formed in its throat. Again, I noticed how it looked nothing like Jacob or his pack. It looked larger, stranger, and more horrifying. It looked sickly.

It then stood on its rear legs, rising up and towering over me. It was well over seven feet tall, and I cowered. I wanted to scream, but no sound would come out. If I did scream, it would inform the rest of the household that I was in trouble, but would the wolf attack quicker? But on the other hand, I couldn't just stand here and let it mutilate me…I couldn't die in silence.

It reached out one, gigantic paw, and what happened next was a hundred times more terrifying than if it had just attacked me. In fact, I would have rather it attacked me.

Instead, it slowly touched me, right beneath my collarbone. It unleashed its claws and with one devastating look at me, its eyes turned bright red and it sunk its claws into my chest, ripping through the wound I had gotten early in the summer from Victoria's fingernails.

I gasped as the searing pain ripped through my chest. Surely, this would rip me apart. Surely, I wouldn't need to worry about my decision that was due in two days, because this in itself would kill me. I gasped, as I felt the screams build up in my system, wanting to break free. But I couldn't get them out.

And at that moment, the door burst open, but I was convinced it was too late. Someone…or more than one someone…was tearing the beast off of me. I felt the nails rip out of my skin and sound broke through my system, as I cried out in agony.

They say pain is weakness leaving the body, but I was sure this pain was meant to cripple the body beyond repair. I doubled over the edge of the tub, hugging myself, trying not to smell or see my own blood that covered everything.

I heard commotion surrounding me, but I could care less. That didn't stop me from hearing it though. I heard scuffles and bangs, yells and grunts. And then I heard a horrific roar….and silence. I was too busy trying to curl into myself to see what was really going on.

I heard voices that I couldn't block out.

"Is she all right?"

"Oh no, look at the blood…"

"We need to get her out of here…"

"Where would we go!"

"_Calm down_-"

"Maybe we should just change her right now…it might save her life…"

"Don't you _dare_!" I shrieked above the voices and above the blinding pain.

"Bella, we can't let you die…"

"Please don't!" I said again, more hoarsely, before my voice faded altogether.

I was aware of someone getting into the bathtub with me, of being pulled backwards in between someone's legs, as they wrapped their arms around me. I was aware of them pressing a towel to my chest, holding it there, as they held me. I opened my eyes and knew without a doubt that it was Edward.

Complete chaos met my eyes as I tried to take in my surroundings. I saw Alice, Jasper, and Jacob all looking at me, frightened, as they stood around the bathtub. I saw the awful werewolf a distance behind them, clearly dead. And I saw my blood, everywhere, on every inch of the marble tub, and all over Edward's arms.

Alice's white dress, I thought irrelevantly. It was probably permanently red now.

I wished for unconsciousness, but it did not come. I was able to see clearly as Edward took the soaked, stained towel that had once been white off of me and handed it to Jacob, who handed him a new towel. I saw that Jacob looked like he was going to be ill.

And although I was at odds with Edward, I had to be grateful towards him, and even marvel at what he was doing. He sat in the bloody bathtub with me, surrounded by the metallic scent of it, and didn't lose control. I could only imagine how hard it must have been for him. Periodic waves of pain rushed over me, waves that made me cry out and flail, but he held me tightly, riding out each wave with me, whispering words of encouragement in my ear.

I wouldn't let them change me and so the only thing to do was to try and stop the blood flow. I vaguely saw Edward hand the second, soaked towel to Jacob and receive another fresh one, as Alice and Jasper looked on helplessly. I knew it couldn't be easy for them either.

I leaned back against Edward and waited. We all waited.

This was a life or death matter. And I wanted life.


	12. Chapter 11: Delusions

_Chapter 11: Delusions_

Shortly after, I passed out.

The smell of my own blood, on top of the actual loss of blood, had been too much. I had drifted into a peaceful, unconscious state and after what seemed like forever, I was vaguely aware that I was in a comfortable bed, and no longer soaked in blood.

I dreamed. I had no idea if I was alone or if I had company, no idea if I was alive or dead, no idea about anything. I could only dream.

My friends came to me in my dream, and it seemed so real that for awhile I was almost convinced that I wasn't dreaming. I saw each of them vividly and listened to what they had to say…

_The first was Jacob._

_He looked absolutely tormented as he reached out his hand to me. I tried to lift mine to grab it, but could only feel air._

_"Bella," he said, his voice thick. "Don't do it."_

_I was immobile and speechless, and I could only wait for him to continue. He looked up for a moment, as if trying to compose himself, before looking back at me. He had a weird glow surrounding his skin, like he was some kind of heavenly being._

_"I know you don't want this," he continued. "And I don't want it for you. I want you to have a life. I want you to be who you were set on earth to be – a human. I want you to go to college, to find a career, to be successful. I want you to get married and have children, and grow old and know your grandchildren. I want you to lead a long, NORMAL, healthy and happy life."_

_He paused for a moment, before continuing._

_"But Bella, how can you do that if you choose to become what they are? I don't want you to become a monster. Not that you'd ever be a monster to me, but Bella…" His eyes shone brightly. "Think of Charlie and your mother. What would they think of this? How would you explain to them why you weren't aging, how when you were thirty, you still looked eighteen?"_

_I was trying to hold back tears._

_"Think about this for me, Bella. Don't jump into something like this, because it's not a simple mistake you can overcome. It's permanent. It's __forever__. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose you like that…there's got to be another way."_

And just like that, he faded away and there was darkness. I stared where he had been just moments before, and suddenly, Alice appeared.

_But she wasn't happy and bounding full of energy. She was completely serious as she looked at me deeply, clearly on a mission, clearly with something important to say._

_"Bella," she said, her voice strong and clear. "You need to let us do this."_

_Her message was the complete opposite of Jacob's. My awful, conflicted feeling sunk back in._

_"I remember that there was a time when you wanted this so badly," Alice continued. "When it was all you wanted. And I've never, even been opposed to it. You're my best friend Bella, and practically already my sister. And I've never been against making you a permanent part of this family."_

_Her eyes had softened and she reached out to me, like Jacob had. And just like with Jacob, all I felt was air._

_"I don't want to make you do something that you don't want to," she went on. "But it's for your own good. Living forever won't be a simple task, but you'll never be alone. You'll have all of us, and you'll have Edward. For always. I don't want to see you die, Bella. You don't know what that would do to me, to my family, and to Edward. Part of us would die with you."_

_Her words touched me deeply, although I felt like I was breaking apart with indecision._

_"I know you're skeptical about Edward, but he loves you more than anything. And if he ever hurt you again, he'd have to answer to me." She put her hands firmly on her hips, before continuing._

"_I wish I could give you the luxury of choice," she went on. "But I'm urging you to let us turn you. Everything will be fine, I promise. I think it really is the only way…" _

And just like with Jacob, she faded and there was only blackness.

Until Jasper appeared.

_He didn't look upset like Jacob had, and he didn't look as stressed as Alice had. He was serious, but he was calm. Not that that was a surprise. _

_"Bella," he said quietly, urging me to look at him. I looked and waited for his message._

_"I know you're faced with an extremely difficult decision and I know you don't know what to do. But I want to stress this…it's completely your decision and no one else's. You need to do what you want, what you feel is right. And I know right now you're not really sure of that, because you don't want either option. But think about it. What do you think would be best in the long run?"_

_His look, like Alice's, softened._

_"You're already part of my family and I would never be against you joining us further. And I don't want to see you die. But I'm warning you that if you join our lifestyle, it will be difficult at first. You're stronger than you know and I know you can do it. It's not easy but we're here."_

_He reached out to touch me, like the others, and although I tried, I couldn't feel him either. I could only feel the same, empty, lonely air._

_"It's all up to you, Bella. Don't feel pressured. I know you'll be fine."_

Jasper faded and I waited anxiously, wondering if Edward would make an appearance in my delusion.

But instead, three stern, terrifying figures appeared.

_The Volturi didn't glow like my three friends had. It was pitch black and I could barely make out their features…just their blazing, red eyes._

_For a few moments, they only stared, making me feel increasingly uncomfortable. My delusion was turning into a nightmare. And just as I thought this, they spoke in unison…_

_"You know too much." That was all they said. And then, the one in front, the leader whose name I couldn't recall at that moment, added on to their statement. _

_"Time is running out."_

They faded, thankfully, but their presence remained for a few moments. I waited for the horror to melt out of my system, and at that moment, Edward appeared.

_He was beautiful, especially with the warm glow that surrounded him. But his lovely features were devastated. He took a step forward, gazing at me, as if he were trying to read my mind._

_"Bella," he whispered._

_I didn't say anything. I only waited, anxious for what he had to say, mesmerized by his beauty and his passion._

_"There was a time when I would have not allowed you to become what I was," he said softly, his voice filled to the brim with sadness. "I hated the idea, Bella. I wanted you to live like a normal human being."_

_He paused and didn't speak again for another minute or so. When he did speak, his voice was thick with emotion._

_"But now I want it. Not just because I want to be with you, but also because I don't want you to die. I can't believe you'd ever consider that as an option. I know becoming a _monster _isn't appealing," his voice trembled when he said "monster". "But I'd be with you every step of the way. I would never, ever leave you. I'd make this bleak world…heaven, for you." His eyes were almost pleading. "Please let us do it, Bella. I don't know what I'd do with in a world without you. I _refuse_ to live in a world without you. It's a world I don't belong in."_

_He reached for me and I was so struck that I couldn't reach back. But unlike the others, I felt his touch. It felt like electricity. _

And at that moment, I awoke.

The lamp cast a warm glow throughout much of the room, while leaving the rest in shadows. And that's how I knew it was still night. My friends' messages rang in my ears and pulled at my mind, urging me to make a decision. I remembered Jacob's torment and his message to find another way, to not become a vampire. I remembered Alice's plea to become what they were. I remembered Jasper's gentle reminder that it was my decision, that I could do whatever I wanted to do, whatever I felt was right. I remembered the Volturi with their harsh presence and eerie words. And I remembered Edward's beautiful promises. His appearance had probably been the shortest of everyone's, but it had affected me the most.

But no matter what I did, I'd be letting someone down.

I tried to sit up and was vaguely aware of hands gently pushing me back down. Although it was painful, I opened my eyes, and that's when the pain in my chest hit me with full force again. I groaned, reaching for whatever hurt, and once again, someone intervened and my hands were pulled away.

Jasper, Alice, Jacob, and Edward were all there. Jasper was leaning against the wall, while Alice sat at the foot of my bed. Jacob sat on one side of me, while Edward sat on the other. I didn't like how it made me feel like I was on my deathbed.

I was in dry clothes and that made me wonder\ how long I'd been unconscious. The roaring pain dulled to throbbing, annoying pangs and I tried to find my voice.

"What's going to happen?" I asked hoarsely. I wasn't sure how to word it, and so that was my way of saying…how bad was it? What kind of shape was I in?

Alice gently put a hand on my leg. "Bella, you've lost a lot of blood. We're literally in the middle of nowhere and the Volturi aren't anywhere to be found right now. This is why we didn't rush you to a hospital, like we should have." She glared at the boys.

There was silence before she went on. "You're not in good shape, Bella. This might be a far-fetched diagnosis, but you've lost enough blood that you could die and we believe your heart is damaged. The wolf's claw had an effect on your similar to a gunshot. You've been weakening in the last two hours…." She trailed off and looked away, trying to hide her anguish.

Had she just told me that I was dying?

They were silent again, and I could feel the tension in the room. I know they wanted to know what I was thinking, if I would give them my consent to turn me at that moment, to save me.

And right on cue, it was mentioned.

Jasper stepped forward to put a comforting hand on Alice's shoulder and she looked up at him. They communicated something to each other, through their eyes, and I was almost jealous. They were so in love.

"Bella, I know you don't like it when we bring this up but…" Alice stared at me apologetically. "Would you give us your consent?"

I stared at her in horror. I still wanted to think about it, but obviously, I didn't have enough time. I knew which side I was leaning towards, but was it the right one?

And at that moment, Edward spoke. "Could I talk to her, please?" he asked, his voice barely audible. Jasper and Alice got the hint and stood. Jacob reluctantly followed them out of the room.

I lay in the bed, the pain coursing through my veins, as I waited for Edward to speak.

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**A/N: Reviews are extremely helpful and motivating! Thank youu!**


	13. Chapter 12: No Guarantees

_Chapter 12: No Guarantees_

I had wanted to jump up and beg everyone not to leave me. But I didn't have enough strength to do so. So I could only lie there, helpless, and wait for Edward to speak.

It was only now that I got an actual glimpse of him. His hair was disheveled and he was soaked in blood – my blood. It was unnerving to see it staining his white shirt. But worse than that was the look in his eyes.

They weren't their usual, unusual shade of topaz. They were dark and filled with what seemed like a million different emotions. But most prominent of all was the bittersweet pain, the absolute agony and never-ending…love? No, love wasn't there. Love was dying, I reminded myself.

I kind of wished he wouldn't speak. This was kind of like the calm before the storm.

But at that moment, he did speak.

"Tell me what it takes, Bella," he whispered, his voice broken. "Tell me what it's going to take to make you _see_."

"See what?" I whispered back, almost wishing I hadn't said that. I had said it to merely fill the silence, and it was only going to set him off.

"Bella, you're _dying_-"

"No, I'm not," I said stubbornly. If I heard someone say that one more time, I swear I would crack. Already I was struggling to sit back up again, but Edward firmly pushed me back down.

"Yes, you are," he said angrily. "Do you see this?" he gestured to his shirt. "Your _blood_, Bella! Most of it, too, I'd say. We need to decide…" he stopped and thought for a moment. "No, there is no decision. Bella, we need to do this. We need to do it now."

I didn't like the horror that spread throughout my entire body. There wasn't anything to be afraid of. This wasn't a horror movie. This was _Edward_…

But right now I couldn't see the difference. Swiftly, I rolled over, ignoring the pain, and slid off of the bed and onto the floor. I peeked under the bed, and was dismayed to find that I would never fit under it. I feebly pounded the wooden floor with my fist.

Again a little bit of sense came back to me and I wondered…what was I doing? Trying to hide under the bed? I was making this into a horror movie. In less than a second, Edward was by my side. "Bella," he hissed, his arms instantly around me, as I tried to fight him off. "Bella, what are you afraid of?"

"You," I bit out, and he let go quickly, as if I had burned him.

I almost regretted it, but I realized it was partly true. I was afraid of being hurt, I had been hurt already. If he warped me into forever with him, what was the guarantee that he'd love me forever? That he wouldn't leave me; leave me tangled in an immortal mess, with nobody? It would just be my pitiful, blood-thirsty self and I couldn't do it. I could never do that.

There were no guarantees.

I watched with a heavy (and apparently damaged, so they told me) heart as Edward sat back, defeated, and just looked at me, obviously stung.

"_Bella_," he whispered incredulously and I realized I had hurt him in one of the worst possible ways that I could.

I owed him an explanation.

"Listen, Edward," I said, my voice coming out softer than I hoped as I felt my heart begin to throb and my strength dwindling. "I don't want this. I know what'll happen. You think you're saving my life but…you wouldn't be giving me any kind of life. What do I do when you leave me? When I have nothing but a never-ending life and uncontrollable blood thirst and no you?"

He was looking at me in disbelief.

"I can't do that," I continued. "I can't be alone, I can't go through that again. We're dying Edward, I know we are…"

"No, we're not, Bella!" Edward said sharply. "Why are you trying to convince yourself of that?"

"Because it's what's happening!" I gasped, as I felt my strength slowly slipping.

"You think I have ulterior motives?" Edward asked, his eyes burning.

I was becoming dizzy, and I was finding it very hard to concentrate on what he was saying. But his eyes really said it all, and I couldn't shut those out. Before I knew it, I was lying on the floor, pressing my cheek against the cool wood. It felt nice. And I wanted to stay there.

"Bella? Bella!" Edward was lifting me in his arms and I could not push him away. I didn't have the energy to. He lay me back down on the bed, and sat on the edge of it. He held tightly to my hand. I realized that I had begun to shiver.

"Bella, please," he said quietly. "Let me."

"No," I managed to whisper.

"Bella, you might have only minutes left," he said, and I could detect the fear in his voice. "Please, let me save you."

"No," I breathed, but I felt like saying yes. I didn't want to die.

"Bella, _damn_ it, I love you," he said, squeezing my hand, willing me to understand.

"No you don't," I whispered as I felt the tears burning my lids. It was like part of me knew he did, but part of me also wanted to convince him that he didn't, that he shouldn't, that he wouldn't.

I was definitely losing it.

Edward stared at me, his expression going from terrified, to hurt, to angry, in one disorienting flash.

I was grabbing fistfuls of the blanket on the bed now, my back arching, as I felt the pain come back. Was I really dying? Was this really what it felt like? And then, Edward was leaning in. I felt his nose brush my neck and I did the only thing I could think of.

I cried out in agony, as if his actions hurt worse than my physical pain.

I watched, tormented, as he fell to his knees beside my bed and ran his hands through his hair. When he looked back up at me, his eyes were dark and bright at the same. He looked at me, his eyes full of remorse, as his words cut into my very skin.

"Bella, you're breaking my heart," he said bitterly, his voice lined with pain.

I looked away quickly, not liking the effect his words were having on me.

"In half, in tiny, little pieces," he continued his voice breaking. "You're _killing_ me, Bella, by making me watch you die, by not letting me help you, but telling me that I don't love you, when you know that I do." His words made me look back at him.

"You _know_ I do," he whispered. "I just don't know why you're fighting it."

I turned my head into the pillow, not bothering to hide the startled sobs that were escaping my burning chest. Edward clung to my hand, and hid his face in the crook of his arm.

It was a few minutes later, when I realized we weren't alone anymore. I opened my eyes to see a strong hand on Edward's shoulder, holding him together.

And I couldn't help but feel the tiniest spark of hope that Carlisle had arrived.

* * *

**A/N: I would like to apologize that it took forever to update this. Life is so incredibly busy with school, work, homework, etc. There's not even enough hours in the day to do my homework. But in a month it'll be winter break, which means I can write every single day. I can't wait! But I'm not giving up on this story and I hope no one else is giving up on reading it because I take forever to update. A recent obsession with the musical Jersey Boys & the band The Four Seasons (an obsession that is still going strong, yay!), plus intense writer's block, kind of delayed it even more. And I know this chapter was super dramatic. But things are going to get a bit more positive after this. So thank you as always to those who read =) And reviews make my day. 3**


	14. Chapter 13: Death on Two Legs

_Chapter 13: Death on Two Legs_

The grass was soft and prickly against my legs. The sun was warm on my skin. The breeze was comforting and cleared my thoughts. The wide, open space gave me breathing room.

My heart hurt and not just because it was damaged from my attack.

Although Jasper had urged me to focus on sensations instead of thoughts, it was difficult. Because I could focus on the calming sensations of nature all I wanted, but I couldn't ignore what I felt inside. And so I sat, useless, on the lawn close to the house, under the protective watch of Alice and Jasper. It was about two days after the attack and after my heart-wrenching confrontation with Edward on my so-called "death bed". I tried not to think about what had happened in the last two days, but I couldn't help it.

The first thing I thought of was the overwhelming feeling of: _what went wrong?_ I thought often about my journey around the world earlier in the summer, and how that adventure had ended with me being on such good terms with Edward. I closed my eyes and saw him holding me in his living room, my head resting wearily on his shoulder as I clung to the purple rose he had given me, the one that meant eternal love.

_Eternal love._ Forever love. Immortal love.

Things had seemed like they had been back to normal then, so what _had_ gone wrong? I wracked my brain endlessly, thinking from that moment in his living room until the moment I learned that Jacob had gone missing, trying to remember some detail, recognize some sign, of where it had gone wrong. Things had been fine, and then Jacob had gone missing, and all of a sudden we were sent spiraling down again, until we hit rock bottom.

And this was definitely rock bottom for Edward and me. A pitiful, hopeless, black rock bottom. I tried desperately not to think about the pain in his expression, his eyes, his voice – the pain that had caused him to physically sink to his knees and plead with me. And I couldn't help but think that I'd damaged things beyond repair. I could acknowledge now that it was partly my fault…maybe even mostly my fault, because he had been trying to help and I had been unfailingly stubborn.

But his leaving in the first place had had a crippling effect on me. It seemed that it had a stronger effect than maybe it should have had. But Edward had to understand that. Even though he told me over and over again that he had done it for my own good, I found that kind of hard to believe. I had found it hard to believe he'd loved me from the very start, because I was an ordinary, clumsy human girl and he was…beautiful and perfect and…_ugh_, I thought to myself, as his perfection overwhelmed me, like it often did.

His leaving had justified my unworthiness of him. And then he came back. How did he expect me to react to this emotional roller coaster ride?

I let my mind return to the present and how I had come to actually be sitting here, alive. Carlisle had saved me, for the time being, at least. I still wasn't in the best shape but I could function at least, and I wasn't on my…death bed. I hated that phrase more than anything, but how else could I describe it? I had spent the last two days in bed, with various visitors (none of which included the Volturi, thankfully). But I hadn't spoken to Edward since. I felt as if I had severed ties, ruined everything. And finally, sick of being in the house, I had asked Alice if I could just sit outside before I went completely insane.

Carlisle's plan was to consult the Volturi the next time they made an appearance, since they had apparently known each other a very, very long time ago. I realized now that my three days were up, but recent circumstances must have delayed the Volturi's eerie threat.

And so now all I could do was sit and wait. Wait to see what my fate would be and what would become of the broken, pathetic soul that I currently was. I found myself lying down in the grass suddenly, tired of my own thoughts. I wasn't even sure of how long I'd been sitting there, but it must have been a long time.

I was so tired. Although it wasn't the safest place to fall asleep, I felt okay. I felt I could sleep there, because Jasper and Alice were close by. The terrible were wolf was dead, and if there were more…I really didn't care. I didn't care about anything anymore.

All of a sudden I awoke to the sound of angry voices. Startled, I sat up and looked towards the house. I was surprised to see the sun sinking behind the trees and the faintest stars already glittering above me in the darkening sky. It was twilight. I realized I must have been asleep for quite awhile.

I squinted into the shadows of the porch, where the door was open and the sounds of irritated, arguing voices were floating out. I saw Jasper sitting on the porch still, only he wasn't watching me. He held his head in his hands, as if he were trying to block out the sound of the fighting. I could understand this – he could probably feel every single emotion radiating from the house. And by the sounds of it, they weren't pleasant emotions.

I dragged myself up with all the strength I could muster and walked slowly and unsteadily to Jasper. He looked up as I approached and offered me a small smile, as I lowered myself down on the steps next to him. We sat and listened.

"Are you absolutely _out of your mind_!" I heard Rosalie's shrill, angry voice rise from the open door.

"Rosalie, stop it!" Alice's voice rang out, matching Rosalie's in tone. "Honestly, what was he supposed to do?"

"There was another way, there is _always_ another way," Rosalie bit out. "He could have thought for at least a second before he exposed himself to the tourists of Vegas and ruined everything!"

I was shocked that Rosalie was here, but even more shocked at what I was hearing. I turned slightly and found that I could see through the doorway. The entire Cullen family, minus Jasper who was outside with me, was in the handsome Victorian kitchen.

"It was kind of reckless, man," Emmett admitted, leaning against the refrigerator, obviously trying to support Rosalie.

"Stay out of this, Emmett!" Alice snapped at him.

"Relax, Alice!" Rosalie growled, coming to Emmett's defense, venom dripping from her pristine voice.

"All of you, please!" Carlisle said firmly, but quietly. "Arguing isn't going to help anything. We need to stick together and we need to come up with a plan."

"I'd say _he_ just about wrecked any formation of a worthy plan," Rosalie said bitterly.

I couldn't help but look for Edward. I saw him, sitting in a chair against the wall by himself, almost isolated from the group. He looked so dejected, as if the fight had gone out of him. I wondered if he had been sitting there the whole time while Rosalie criticized him, taking it punch by punch.

I was having a bit of trouble grasping why Rosalie was being so hostile, but words from what seemed like an entirely different time came back to me. _The entire family will be implicated if this ends badly._

"That's not true, Rosalie," Esme said softly from the kitchen table and I knew if she had tears, they'd be falling, by the sound of her expression.

Rosalie stared at Edward, who was avoiding her gaze. She looked so beautiful but at the same time, absolutely terrifying. She took a step towards him. "It is true. You've screwed every single one of us over, Edward. It's over. They're probably going to kill us all."

Edward leapt out of his seat so suddenly that I found myself shrinking back, although I was a good distance away from him. The dangerous gleam that had suddenly filled his eyes frightened me. And I couldn't help think that by his reaction, she didn't mean he had screwed them over just by running into the sunlight.

He had screwed them over by falling in love with me, a human.

"Don't say that," Esme whispered.

"It's completely, one hundred percent true," Rosalie murmured angrily, not taking her eyes off of Edward's. "Isn't it Alice?"

Everyone but Rosalie turned to look at Alice, who glared back at her sister with a vengeance.

"Alice?" Carlisle asked, urging her with his eyes to tell what she knew.

After a moment, Alice looked defeated. "Yes," she said quietly. "I saw it in a vision earlier today."

"Like I said," Rosalie confirmed darkly. "They'll either kill us all, or just exclusively you, Edward."

Without a word, Esme got up from the table and left the room gracefully, but with an obvious air of despair. I could tell she had heard enough. Carlisle followed her.

I tried to let what I had heard sink in. I turned to Jasper, who was staring bitterly at his hands.

"Is this because of me?" I whispered, feeling tears burning my eyes. The thought of any of the Cullens dead made me unbearably upset.

Jasper looked over at me quickly. "Of course not, Bella."

I looked at him in disbelief. "But what about what we just heard?"

"They aren't putting any blame on you, Bella," Jasper told me quietly. "Rosalie is blaming Edward for running out into the sunlight and exposing himself…"

"And for becoming associated with me, right?" I asked bitterly.

Jasper stared at me for a moment before answering. "It's not your fault, even if she does think that."

"But I'm the one who is making this so complicated! I'm the one who won't make a choice, who won't die or become a vampire." I turned away from him and wrapped my arms around myself. I was unconsciously trying to hold myself together, something I hadn't done since the days after Edward had left.

"That's not why," Jasper said quietly, gently putting a cold finger under my chin and turning my face so that I could look at him, so that he could make me understand. "That's an entirely different issue altogether. The one they were arguing about is simply that Edward exposed us."

I didn't say anything; I sat with him as he talked to me, distracting me and calming me down. But my thoughts were tangled and I tried desperately to sort them out. Alice had had a vision that the Cullens would possibly be killed, no doubt by the Volturi. And everyone had been so wrapped up with me and my inability to make a decision that they hadn't even been thinking about the exposure part.

Inside, I was unraveling. I was unraveling from my very core and formulating my own plan of how I could make this right again.

* * *

**A/N: The title is another Queen song. 3 Thank you for reading and for the reviews. Any feedback at all is always deeply appreciated.**


	15. Chapter 14: You Can Do This

_Chapter 14: You Can Do This_

I knew what I had to do. Only, I didn't know how to go about doing it.

I was lying on the bed in the room I was staying in, thinking about the exchange I had just heard between the Cullen family and wallowing in my own guilt. I had an increasingly strong feeling that this was my fault. I just wasn't completely sure why.

I reasoned it through, tracing my faults back to the very origins of mine and Edward's relationship. He had fallen in love with me, or so he said. I was a human, this was clearly unusual. I knew all their secrets and that was forbidden. I had been stubborn, running after Jacob and causing Edward to run into the sunlight and expose himself. And really, what else could he have done? This was Edward we were talking about; he wouldn't have stood there and watched me get ripped to bits and pieces.

And those were only the physical events, never mind the trouble and heartache I had probably caused all of them.

I was on the edge of my bed sometime later, after taking a long and painful journey into the past, ready for what seemed like the only choice. First, I was going to succumb to Edward and have him change me. Forget the after-effects, the pain, the results. The Cullens had been nothing but decent to me and I had to comply somehow.

And then perhaps I could convince the Volturi to spare their lives.

Alice had come in at that moment and by her expression I could tell that she was probably worried that I hadn't left my room in hours…I didn't even know what time it was anymore or how long I had been mulling over my decision.

She walked silently over to me and sat in the chair next to the window, the same one that Edward had sat in when I had been…dying.

I didn't say anything to her because I couldn't find the words, but I didn't need to. After a few moments, she spoke.

"Jasper told me you heard everything," she said quietly.

I nodded.

She nodded as well, gazing out the window. The burning question that had been fighting to escape me ever since I heard the argument finally broke free when I realized she wasn't about to say more.

"Are they going to kill you?" I whispered.

"No," Alice said in a definite, confident tone.

"Are you saying that because it's a vision or because you heard it firsthand?" I asked doubtfully.

"That's actually one of the things I came to talk to you about," Alice said. "Carlisle did talk to the Volturi – we all had a meeting of some sort. And they're letting us go free. That includes you too, Bella." She paused, allowing this to sink in. She took in the obviously shocked expression on my face, before explaining further. "A very long time ago, Carlisle stayed with the Volturi as a guest for awhile, and they're on good terms. It took a few hours, but we worked out agreements and details."

"Like what kind of agreements and details?" I asked suspiciously.

"Well, we realized that Edward's exposure wasn't that bad, wasn't seen by that many people, and that it could easily be written off as anything for the most part," Alice said. "If it had been for a longer period of time and more in the central part of the city, then that would be a different matter." She paused before going on. "We also came to an agreement about your mortality. You don't have to be changed right now – you can wait a bit, but it does have to be done eventually."

The relief overrode me like a tidal wave. "So when do we leave?" I asked immediately.

"Tomorrow," Alice replied.

This should have been great news. I should have jumped up and given Alice a huge hug or sunk to my knees in thanks…anything but what I actually did.

What I actually did was drop my head in my hands in dismay.

"Bella, what is it?" I heard Alice ask, clearly confused by my reaction.

"Alice, I don't know how much longer I can stay here," I murmured, although I knew this was a crazy statement. Surely I could survive until the morning. Just a few moments ago there was no guarantee that I would leave anytime soon, but now there was a tomorrow and I couldn't wait until then? Clearly I was pushing my luck.

I expected Alice to argue with me or to tell me not to be foolish, to accept this tiny victory for what it was. But when I looked up, I saw that she was considering something.

"I know what you mean, Bella," she said and I noticed she was unnaturally reserved. "Maybe there is something we can do…" She paused for a moment, before smiling. I was starting to open my mouth to ask why she was smiling when there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" she sang out, before the door opened widely and Jasper stepped in with such a calm and amused expression that even I had to smile.

"What do you think, Jasper?" Alice asked him. "Do you think they'd let Bella leave tonight?"

Jasper nodded without a second thought. "They did say we're free to go. I don't think everyone is going to leave tonight, but Bella, if you'd like me to take you home, I can."

I nodded gratefully. Although now I was beginning to fear Charlie's reaction and the fact that I would be grounded for the rest of all time, I wanted nothing more than to go home.

And then Alice's eyes suddenly widened. "You have to go now."

She was having a vision.

This caught me off guard and I immediately assumed the worst. "Why?" Did the Volturi change their mind?

Alice was pushing Jasper and I towards the window. "Edward is going to try and stop you."

Although lately I had been trying to convince myself that this wasn't a horror movie and that Edward was not a bad guy, I found myself reacting to her words. Since I had no possessions but the clothes on my back, I moved to the window as she shoved it open. I looked into the pitch blackness of the night and felt a bit sick. Was she really expecting me to climb out the window?

That's when a thought hit me.

"What about Jacob?" I asked suddenly. "I can't leave without him."

"He's already gone," Alice told me and I was rooted to the spot in my confusion. He was already gone? When had he left?

Alice had already climbed gracefully out the window and was making her way to the ground. Jasper picked me up and followed.

I closed my eyes tightly and buried my face in the crook of his shoulder as I felt us moving down, swiftly and steadily. I didn't need to see how far up we were and how far I could possibly fall if something happened.

He set me down when we reached the ground, and Alice slipped a letter into my hand.

"This will explain everything," she whispered to me, giving me a quick hug. "And remember…" she took me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes firmly. "You can do this."

And at that moment, Edward rounded the corner of the house. All of us looked up guiltily, but his expression was more dismayed than angry.

He stared at Alice and instantly got the story from her thoughts.

"You can't let her go," he said in such a quiet matter that I almost felt concerned for him. It was still Edward, voicing his opinion, but it seemed like some of the fight had left him. I realized I had done this, no doubt.

"Why, Edward?" Alice asked. "We're free to go. She has every right to leave this place."

"I don't trust them," Edward said, keeping his eyes carefully on Alice, while I couldn't tear my eyes away from him. "I don't think it's a good idea to leave literally ten minutes after they say you can go."

"We're not all leaving," Alice pointed out. "And I haven't seen anything bad happening. Besides, the sooner Bella gets out of here, the better."

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and I knew he was trying not to let his frustration show, but that he was trying to make them see his side.

Alice gently pushed me towards Jasper, who was backing away towards the woods. Edward glanced up immediately and met my gaze. It sent paralyzing chills down my spine as his topaz eyes burned into mine. He stepped forward immediately, reaching his hand out towards me, before dropping it.

"Jasper, please," he said. "Don't take her away…"

…_from me. Don't take her away from me._ Although he hadn't spoken the rest of it, I could see it clearly in his expression.

"I'm sorry, Edward," Jasper said quietly, indicating he wasn't changing his mind.

The betrayal flashed brightly in Edward's eyes, as he turned to me. "Bella," he whispered.

I found tears burning my throat because at the moment, the force of his emotions hit me. I knew him well enough, so that I could see it in his expression, his body language, and above all else, his eyes, that something was deeply bothering him and that it was killing him that even his own brother and sister were taking me away.

I'm sure he felt like a monster. I didn't want him too, but what could I do?

I was so wrapped up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that Edward had stepped forward and was standing right in front of me now. I stood, frozen to the spot, as he gently brought his hand to my face, not taking his eyes off of mine. I didn't like his expression; it reminded me too much of the expression he had worn when he had left me.

I felt his thumb gently brush away a tear that I didn't even know was falling. I drew in a breath and held it, as I tried not to fall apart. I internally blamed my unpredictable emotions on him. I had never been this bad before he had left.

Edward leaned down and I felt him kiss my forehead. And then he backed away slowly, his gaze turning into a positive glare as he looked at Jasper. He was letting me go. He was giving in.

With great difficulty, I tore my gaze from him, turned around, and looked to the future.

I was going home.


	16. Chapter 15: Adjustment

_Chapter 15: Adjustment_

I was home. And I was definitely grounded.

Charlie was not happy at all (or especially forgiving). But I hadn't expected him to be. He said the only thing that had kept him from sending a search party out for me was a call from Jacob saying we were safe. I instantly wondered what kind of story Jacob had fabricated and soon got it.

Charlie wanted to know first of all, if I was completely out of my mind going after Jacob? This wasn't a lie, I had done that. He expressed his extreme disapproval that I had gotten tangled in Jacob's affairs – apparently, Jacob had been feuding with some guys from a nearby reservation and they were pretty gangly and had captured him. And then I had found Jake and after running away from the gang, we had gotten lost for days.

I had to hand it to Jake, it was a good story. It was at least believable. Charlie was grateful that we were both safe, but not happy that I hadn't let him in on what I was doing (and that I had lied about my whereabouts). He also immediately asked why the Cullens were nowhere to be found at the time and what Edward had to do with this. I told him simply that Edward and the Cullens had been concerned and had left to look for me. That wasn't a complete lie either.

I sat in my room the next day, thinking over the events of the past week. I found it hard to believe that just days ago, I had been held captive and was being forced to make a very difficult choice. I had to keep reminding myself that everything was okay now, that I could relax now that I was grounded and safe. I could adjust to life again.

It was then that I realized I had never opened Alice's letter. I rolled over and reached for it, where I had left it on my bedside table the night before.

_Dear Bella,_

_You're probably a bit confused right now. To tell you the truth, I had planned on sending you away tonight all along and had written this letter immediately after our meeting with the Volturi. I'm not writing to lecture you about what we just went through, either. It's done and it's over. We're all safe and we don't have to think about decisions for awhile. _

_I'm writing to talk to you about Edward._

_I know what happened the other night when he was trying to save you and you were dying; I know what was said. I know that he is a complete mess (there's no nice way to say it) and I'm worried about him. Things shouldn't have ended up this way. You and Edward should be in a happy and loving relationship right now, not avoiding each other and hurting._

_I'll admit now that I am writing on his behalf. He doesn't know that I'm writing on his behalf (and there isn't anything he can do about it either!) I can't express this enough: Edward loves you, Bella. You're his world. I know it's very difficult for you to believe, but please, by all means, believe it! I don't know if you really believe what he tells you, so I'm going to tell you myself._

_Edward didn't leave because he didn't want you. He left because he thought it would be better for you. After Jasper had his little accident, it only further confirmed what Edward already feared: that he was putting you in danger and risking your life. And a member of his own family losing control really scared him, because who could be next? It could be Edward, himself. And so he left you, believing he was taking all of the demons with him. If he had known Victoria was still on the loose, he wouldn't have left._

_Look at the signs, Bella. Look at how he followed you all over the world to make sure that you were safe. Look at how he is still following you, protecting you, trying to make you see what he feels. Look at his crippling regret._

_I really didn't expect you to forgive him so easily and I was really glad that you didn't at first. You went through a terrible depression and it tested your strength, your trust in others, and your faith. I know it changed you and I know that although you are still Bella Swan and although we all still love you, you're not the same exact person that you were before. And that's all right._

_But things can go back to normal. I know you think this is rock bottom and that there is no turning back. I bet you think that things are so damaged between you and Edward that how can you ever go back to how it was before? You can! You really can. There's always second chances…or thirds or fourths or whatever you two are on right now._

_So I am pleading with you Bella, for his sake. I can't stand to see the underlying anguish that is always in his eyes. And I can't stand to see the obvious despair in yours. If you need time, take as much time as you need. I know he'll still be here waiting for you._

_Remember…you can do this. I'll probably be home by now if you want to talk._

_Lots of Love,_

_Alice_

_P.S. Don't you dare frown at this letter, crumple it up, and throw it. Read it again if you have to._

I let the letter slip out of my hand and fall to the floor. She knew me well because I had been planning on crumpling up the letter and throwing it at the window (or maybe she had merely seen it in a vision).

I slid off of my bed and went to my closet. I rummaged around for a moment, before finding the box of roses. I returned to my bed, opened the box, and allowed myself to get hit hard by the aroma and the memories.

I would be fair and consider what Alice had to say. But they needed to understand that I needed quite a bit of time and that I wouldn't bounce back quickly at all. But in all honesty, I felt terrible about my encounter with Edward on my "death bed". I reasoned I had been a little harsher than I should have been and that I had hurt him more than I ever dreamed I could.

I hated the way I felt. Whatever I had done to get myself to this point, I wish I hadn't done it. I felt like I barely knew Edward anymore. I felt like all was lost. I felt like my underlying anger would never disappear and that we would never get back to what I considered normal. I felt like there was a hard and indestructible steel wall in-between us, one that couldn't be knocked down no matter what we did.

I set the box of roses on the floor and crawled under my blankets, not wanting to think about it anymore. I was home now and I was safe. Nothing had to be decided now. I didn't have to think about anything right now if I didn't want to.

And on that note, I fell into a strange and uncomfortable sleep.

_I was in the cafeteria at Forks High School. _

_But why would I be here? There was absolutely no reason. I had graduated and I never had to have anything to do with this place again if I chose._

_Which didn't explain why I was hiding under the table in the empty cafeteria, like some kind of maniac. The box of roses sat next to me, and mixed in with the beautiful, withered roses was a picture of Edward._

_It was the picture of us in the living room from senior year, the one that Charlie had taken with my new camera – my eighteenth birthday present. The one where Edward had looked strangely distant and unhappy and the one that he had tampered with before he left, to make it seem like he never existed._

_In my dream, I noticed this now and picked it up out of the petals carefully, gazing at it and letting uncomfortable, heartbreaking memories return. _

_All of a sudden, a hand shot out of the box of roses and grasped my wrist. I dropped the picture with a gasp and tried to move away, but the pale, cold hand was strong. It dragged me into the box (which was so small, how did I even fit?) and I was suddenly spiraling through space, into what seemed like another dimension. _

_The hand had a body attached to it and that body belonged to Victoria. She seemed the same as the last time I had seen her (before her ultimate demise), only her face was terribly deformed. It made her seem ten times as frightening and I realized that this was from the fire, from her destruction. So why was she here, pulling me through a warped tunnel that reminded me of the twilight zone?_

_Somewhere, a doorbell rang._

_We hit the ground and Victoria pushed me roughly into a chair. I gazed around, bewildered. Surely, this was hell. There was fire everywhere, fire and stone. And three familiar figures standing in front of me, each with the same anxious look in their eyes, as if they needed to tell me something extremely important._

_The first was Jacob. He stepped towards me slowly, his eyes suddenly angry, before he morphed into a large, brown wolf right in front of my eyes. He let out a deafening growl as he stuck out his huge paw and lashed out at me, his claws sinking into my face, and all I could think of was Emily and Sam, and how Emily's beautiful face had been scarred because of Sam. And at that moment, the huge, terrifying wolf from Vegas appeared and had Jacob by the tail. He was pulling him away and all I could hear were Jacob's whimpers as he was dragged into the nearest fire pit._

_And again, a doorbell rang._

_I was horrified and disturbed, and my face burned. I knew I must look similar to Victoria now. I tried in vain to understand why Jacob had attacked me, what I had done to make him angry, why I had been saved by the terrible wolf…_

_And that's when Edward stepped forward. His eyes were carefully guarded and his look made me feel guilty. He reached out and touched my face where Jacob had mutilated it. It felt soothing._

_"I promise to never put you through anything like this ever again. This is the last time you'll ever see me." And with that he took his hand, which was covered with my blood, away and left, and all the original pain of his leaving resurfaced and crushed me._

_And then Angelo appeared. His eyes were wide and urgent, and he opened his mouth to say something. But before he could, he turned into ash and fell to the ground, Victoria's hysterical laughs echoing in the background…_

I woke up screaming.

I tried to remember where my hand was so that I could clamp it over my mouth and gain control, but I was shaking so hard that I could only bury my head under the blanket. And that's when two strong arms pulled me to a sitting position and held me tightly.

"Bella," the owner of the arms whispered urgently. "Bella, ssh. It's all right, I'm here and it's over. It's okay…"

I managed to locate my hand and cover my mouth as I stopped screaming, my breathing coming in irregular gasps, as if I had been running some kind of marathon. I looked up and straight into the eyes of Jacob Black.

"Jacob!" I exclaimed in shock, wrapping my arms around his huge frame in quick hug and feeling the familiar burn of his body heat.

He grinned my favorite grin and hugged me back even tighter. I pounded him gently on the back, letting him know that he was crushing the life out of me.

"Where did you come from?" I asked him, suddenly restless.

"Never mind that right now," he told me, as if it weren't important. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," I lied.

"I was coming to talk to you, when I heard you screaming," Jacob said, his deep brown eyes full of concern. "Did you have a nightmare?"

I nodded, remembering the terrible dream, and feeling the excitement at seeing Jacob fade away. I carefully squirmed out of his arms and lay on my side, facing away from him. When I had awoken, I hadn't realized why I was screaming at first. Then I had seen Jacob, and it had been as if the nightmare hadn't happened.

But it had happened and it brought back the disturbing images and events that it contained. It was as if every recent misfortune, every recent emotional pain, had been embodied in it. Fear of Victoria, anguish at Edward's departure, crushing despair at Angelo's death, and fear, anger, and confusion at Jacob attacking me. Why had that been in there? Jacob had never hurt me.

Jacob had circled the bed so that he could see me and was now sitting on the floor. He was so tall that he was eye level with me. I knew he was about to press further about the nightmare and the screams, so I spoke first.

"When did you leave that…place?" I asked him, remembering Alice's words and also not able to find a word to describe what had been our own personal prison for a few days. I tried to remember the last time I had seen Jacob after I'd been attacked in the bathroom, and the only time I could remember was him sitting with me a few times after Carlisle had saved me. But after that…he had disappeared.

"I was thinking long and hard about that weird wolf that attacked you," he told me. "I was doing some research and prowling about in the woods, trying to figure out if there were anymore or looking for a sign. Then the bloodsucker…"

I glared at him.

"Er, then _Alice_," he corrected himself, "told me I was free to go after she met with the super evil bloodsuckers. I wanted to bring you back with me, but she told me they'd take care of you. So I came back to the reservation."

I didn't say anything. Instead, I closed my eyes wearily and listened to his voice.

"And then today, I came to find you," Jake continued. "I rang the doorbell a few times but no answer. I was about to turn away when I heard you screaming."

So that was the doorbell I'd heard in my nightmare.

"Nice story by the way," I remarked, opening my eyes as I smiled a bit. "Charlie bought it."

Jacob was about to say something, when his expression turned into stone. His easy going manner disappeared and he became stiff and restless. His face turned into the mask I'd always resented.

"What is it?" I asked immediately.

Jacob had gotten off of the floor and moved towards the window. "There's a bloodsucker at your door," he said bitterly. I sat up, not wanting him to go so soon, but the doorbell rang and then he was gone.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry if it seems like I keep ending my chapters with cliff hangers. Sometimes I really don't even notice I'm doing it, so it's not intentional. Usually, I get an idea and I end the chapter with a "cliff hanger" because I don't always know what's going to happen afterwards. So I apologize! Thank you for the reviews!! =) I'm still motivated!**


	17. Chapter 16: Listen to Your Heart

_Chapter 16: Listen to Your Heart_

I froze.

My first instinct was to crawl back under the covers and sleep again. But I knew that if I did that, I'd never sleep later that night. And I'd rather face whoever was at the door than face the nightmare again. I got out of my bed -my haven - and made my way downstairs.

_There's a bloodsucker at your door._ I didn't need to guess who was at the door. I had a feeling I already knew.

And I was right.

I opened the door and although I was correct, it still didn't stop my heart from plummeting into my stomach. I came face to face with Edward, who was standing on the porch. I only now noticed that it was pouring out. Big surprise.

I was struck again by his perfection and could only stare. It seemed like the less time I spent with him, the more he overwhelmed me when I did see him.

I waited for him to speak.

His eyes still held the overflowing pain and emotion in them, but his voice was calm. "Hello," he said softly, and it reminded me of when he had first spoken to me in biology class junior year – when he had introduced himself. So polite, so innocent.

"Hi," I replied lamely, still not able to tear my eyes away.

Edward lifted his hand at that moment to give me something. I saw that it was my backpack – the one I had left in his car days ago when I had overheard his conversation with Alice and left the gas station angrily. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

"I thought you might be looking for this," he said in the same careful, polite tone.

"Thanks," I said, taking it from him, carefully avoiding his touch.

Edward nodded and took a step back. I was debating if I should be polite and invite him in, but the awkwardness of the situation kept me from doing so. What would I do once I invited him in? There was nothing I could do, but sit with him and share in his pain. I'd be forced to speak to him about our situation.

He didn't say anything else. He just lifted his hand in a small, formal wave as he turned and began to walk into the rain. I saw the Volvo parked next to my truck.

Something about the entire exchange made me sad – kind of like a feeling of homesickness, as strange as that sounds. Before I could stop myself, I had called after him.

"Edward, wait!"

He turned, the rain soaking him, and looked at me. Why had I called out? What could I say?

"Drive safe," I muttered quietly, but I knew he still heard me. He nodded, barely but the motion was still there. Then he was in the Volvo and speeding away before I could blink.

He was not driving safely.

I closed the door and let the backpack fall to the floor. I tried not to think about how strange that encounter had been. It had been incredibly awkward. Sure, it had been nice of him to give me my stuff back but his actions could mean a variety of things. Maybe he had given up on me and accepted that this was it and as a result, was in a hurry to return my possessions so he wouldn't have to see me anymore after that. Or maybe he had wanted to see me right away. There had been no rush to return my stuff; he could have waited or had Alice do it.

Immediately I told myself I shouldn't be looking so deeply into this. Over-analyzing was never a good thing. I made my way to the kitchen to fix up something quick for dinner. I was surprised to find that it was already late afternoon. I had officially wasted the day.

A few uneventful days went by and I was starting to feel worse. I didn't want to call Alice and talk about anything yet. But I still read her letter over and over.

One day she finally showed up at my door. Although I was grounded, Charlie made an exception since it was Alice.

Once we were safely up in my room and out of Charlie's hearing range, she called me out on my reclusive behavior.

"You haven't called me!" she said, pointing out the obvious while sitting in the rocking chair that Edward usually sat in.

"I know," I said guiltily, sitting across from her on my bed. "I'm sorry."

"Have you read my letter?"

"Alice, you know I have."

"Right," she agreed. "Well, what do you think?"

"Honestly, I don't know what to think," I told her.

Alice rocked back and forth quietly for a few moments, clearly thinking about something. "Bella," she said finally. "You can't go on like this. It's not healthy for either of you."

"Tell me about it," I muttered.

"I don't know what it's going to take," she continued, ignoring my less than enthusiastic response. "Do I need to lock you two in a room together until you can work things out?"

"No!" I said loudly, so she couldn't ignore this response.

"Bella!"

"Alice, I already know this is my fault," I told her wearily. "There is something wrong with _me_ here. Edward has already done his part in trying to fix things."

"He has," Alice agreed before disagreeing. "But it's not you and it's not him. It's just something that happened. No blame! You both could be cooperating to work things out."

We talked into the early hours of the evening, first about my situation and then finally about other things, until Alice finally got up to go.

She was still chatting to me while we walked down the stairs. "You know, the locking two people in a room together thing has been proven to work."

"Alice!"

Alice cheerfully said goodbye to an equally cheerful Charlie, and slipped me a note.

"I want you to consider this," she told me, before disappearing into the night.

I said goodnight to Charlie before climbing back up the stairs to my room. I opened the note immediately and read Alice's now familiar writing.

_Listen to your heart_

_Before you tell him goodbye._

Short, sweet, and to the point. I didn't understand why Alice couldn't have just communicated this to me out loud. She probably thought it would have more of an effect if it was written on paper, where I couldn't ignore it and where I'd have to read it over and over.

Furthermore, I was pretty sure that this was a song, but the version I knew was not the recent cover done in the past few years. It was the original, by a band from the 80s; I could remember my mom listening to it when I was little.

Listen to my heart? Impossible, mine was damaged. But Alice had a point with her little message here. I felt tears fill my eyes at the thought of ever telling Edward goodbye. So what was my heart saying about this? What was I feeling? What did I really want?

I didn't want to face these questions just yet.

I had gotten back in touch with Newton's Sporting Goods since I had nothing else to do and I did need to get back to work. Mike and his mother were so relieved that I was all right, after hearing of my recent run in with danger. I began to wonder what kind of story Charlie had fabricated for the town, or if he had just passed along Jake's version. But they offered to put me on the schedule immediately the next day. They said apparently there was a hiking trip being planned as a local community event and they were expecting to get hit pretty hard, with people needing outdoor supplies and such. Grateful to get out of the house and to get my mind off of things, I agreed.

The next day, when my alarm clock failed to wake me up and I was woken by a nightmare instead, I knew it wasn't going to be a good day. I literally had a half hour before I had to get to work. Frantically, I jumped out of bed, took the quickest shower imaginable, and got dressed. I was backing out of the driveway when I realized I had left my work vest inside. Jumping out and running to the porch (almost falling over in the process), I found my vest in the kitchen (although I had no memory of how it had gotten there) and was soon on my way, fifteen above the speed limit the entire way to work.

I grumbled to myself about this unfortunate start to my day, wondering why anyone in their right mind would even plan a hiking trip in Forks, when it would no doubt rain.

My phone began to vibrate and I picked it up quickly and glanced at it to see who was calling. It was Alice. I carefully considered whether I should answer it or not, and finally, put it back down on the passenger seat. I was already late, very near to Newton's, and she probably only wanted to ask me if I had considered her message.

I pulled into the parking lot and saw that there were already quite a bit of cars there. I slipped out of my truck, seeing that I had exactly one minute to get into the building and I would at least be on time. I grabbed my vest, ignoring my phone that had started to vibrate again, and took off at a jog.

And that's when it happened.

Before I was even a few feet away from the truck, I was suddenly hurdled backwards by some invisible force. I heard a deafening bang, one that made me fear my eardrums would explode. I was slammed ungracefully into the side of the truck, hearing the sickening crush of metal. I heard screams and suddenly debris was raining down around me, chunks of concrete, ash, and other random objects.

Although I couldn't exactly think rationally, I somehow managed to understand. There had been an explosion. A bomb. This hadn't been an accident.

A bomb!? Although my back hurt from making hard contact with the side of my truck, I forced myself to roll under the truck. I didn't know how much good this would do but I was in shock. What had just happened?

Leave it to me to wake up late and rush to work, just as someone decided to bomb the place where I worked.

At that moment, I heard someone peeling into the parking lot and in less than a few seconds, Alice was pulling me out from under my truck. Once I was on my feet – unstable, but standing - she glared at me. "Why don't you answer your phone!" she asked furiously, jabbing a finger towards my passenger seat.

I shrugged, still not able to form coherent sentences.

"I was calling to warn you about this!" Alice continued angrily. "I had a vision – I saw this happening! And you didn't even answer your phone!"

I raked my hands through my hair, not really understanding anything. "What happened, Alice? I don't understand…"

But Alice was already pulling me away towards the car she had arrived in.

"Wait!" I managed to squeak out. "I need to see what happened, I need to make sure everyone is okay!" I looked behind me, seeing the building on fire and people running everywhere. The place was complete chaos. Panic rose in the air, suffocating me.

I didn't like seeing fire. It reminded me of Victoria and Angelo.

"Not important!" Alice retorted as she wrenched open the passenger door and ushered me inside. She then sped around to the driver's side and we were off.

"Seatbelt!" she demanded, not taking her eyes off of the road, and I fumbled clumsily with the buckle, my hands shaking.

I wanted to open my mouth and ask Alice what had just happened, why it had happened, and what was going to happen. I wanted to ask where we were going. But my shock sank back in and I could sit as we sped along the road at an alarming speed.

Suddenly, I sat up a little straighter. "I need to see Edward," I said suddenly, staring straight ahead.

"That's the plan," Alice murmured, more to herself than to me.

I turned fully in my seat to look out the window, as if I were expecting to see him pop out from anywhere.

I suppose this is what Alice had meant. I was listening to my heart.

It said I was scared. I was anxious. I was confused. And I needed Edward, despite my stubbornness and all that had happened in the previous days.

* * *

**A/N: Happy Thanksgiving everyone!**

**I don't really have much to say about this chapter, except that danger is back again. Thank you for reading this, and thank you for the reviews. I know I thank everyone after every chapter, but they reviews really mean a lot to me. I really value your opinons and what you think, good or bad. And if anyone ever has an suggestions as to where they want this to go, or any ideas, I love hearing those too. **

**I just saw New Moon for the second time last night, so the motivation is still going strong!**

**Enjoy your day!**


	18. Chapter 17: Answerless

_Chapter 17: Answerless_

It was then that Alice got the call.

We were almost at the Cullen residence when her phone began to vibrate, and she answered it immediately on the first ring. "Hello?" she said, her voice controlled and careful.

I watched her as she listened to the voice on the other line, her perfectly shaped eyebrows furrowing at times, and her lips remaining in a straight, thin line.

After a few moments, she simply said, "Mmhmm," and hung up.

She didn't say anything further.

"What is it?" I asked her immediately, sensing that something was very wrong. We were now entering the forest, the familiar windy roads to the Cullen house coming into view.

"It's nothing, Bella," she told me.

I blinked at her. "You…you can't tell me that was nothing," I said nervously. "Something's wrong, I know it…"

"Bella, I don't even know if it's true or not," Alice told me and I saw that she had increased her speed. I hadn't even thought it was possible for her to go any faster than she already was.

"Can't you 'see' anything?" I asked, panic lining my tone.

She shook her head. "I can't see a thing."

We had pulled up to the Cullen house. "Alice, please," I said, trying to control my panic. "If it has anything to do with me, please, just tell me what it is."

"I don't want to alarm you!" Alice admitted, as Jasper came out of the house and down the steps so fast that he was a blur.

"You already are alarming me!" I exclaimed, trying not to let the hysteria I felt show in my voice. I felt Jasper trying to calm me down, and I fervently tried to ignore it. Right now was not the time to sit back and be calm, right now was the time to get answers.

Alice was silent for awhile, while I anxiously tapped my foot against the floor of the car. Finally, she spoke.

"It's Charlie," she said quietly. "They said he got to the scene of the bomb and was under the impression that you were trapped inside because he saw your truck there, you weren't outside, and nobody had seen you. He ran in, looking for you, and was apparently injured by a burning beam that fell on him…" She trailed off as she saw the horrified expression that had spread across my face.

"Bella," she said quickly. "Bella, I'm sure he's fine…"

"We need to go back there," I said numbly. "Now."

"No," Alice said firmly, and I was vaguely aware that we were still sitting inside the car and that Jasper was still standing outside my door. "It could be a trap! Whoever called me didn't say who they were, I didn't recognize the number, I can't 'see' anything…it's all extremely suspicious."

"Alice, what if he's hurt?" I dropped my head in my hands, the anxiety making me sick.

"Bella, you don't know that he is."

"Please, let's go," I pleaded softly, unconsciously wrapping my arms tightly around myself. If anything happened to Charlie, I don't know what I'd do. Sure, we weren't the most conversational all of the time and we didn't do constant, major father-daughter bonding activities, but he was still my dad and I still loved him.

Alice had turned off the car and taken the key out of the ignition. She stuck it in her pocket, indicating that we weren't going anywhere. "Bella," she said sharply. "Do you remember the last time you got an urgent call from someone a few days ago?"

I didn't like where this was going.

"Do you seem to recall that it was a trap?" she continued.

This was true, but it didn't mean anything. I wanted to tell her so, but I couldn't find the words. I felt Jasper once again trying to calm me. Suddenly, the car seemed like a cage, smothering me. I pushed the door open and got out, but Alice was already out and standing next to Jasper.

"Where's Edward?" she was asking him as I shut the car door weakly.

Jasper shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "We haven't seen him in a few hours. He disappeared into the woods in the early hours of this morning."

Alice pressed her fingers to her forehead and I felt even more alarmed than before. Jasper sensed this and was quick to reassure me. "It doesn't mean anything, Bella," he told me. "He's been doing that every day since we've gotten back."

"Hunting?" I asked, not able to fight the curiosity I felt.

"I don't think so," Jasper admitted. "I think he just goes out there to think."

I didn't say anything. Two of the people who meant everything to me were either hurt or missing. I once again folded my arms around myself. Alice's expression softened and she looked at Jasper, who nodded. They each put an arm around me and walked me up to the Cullen house.

Esme was the only one home. I immediately knew that Carlisle, being a doctor, would have to be at the scene of the bomb to help and heal people. I assumed that Rosalie and Emmett were suspicious about the bomb and had set out to investigate. They must have had the same thought I had.

The one thought that assumed that the bomb was definitely meant for me.

I let Alice and Jasper sit me down on the white couch, but I wasn't really aware of where I was. The thoughts were running through my head, like an overflowing river, as I thought out the terrible possibilities.

What if it wasn't over?

Whenever any terrible situation ended, I always believed that it was truly over. When Victoria had perished, I thought I was fine. When the Volturi finally let me go, I thought I would be okay. But now, someone had bombed the place where I was supposed to be. That could mean a variety of things.

How would they know exactly what time I had to be at work? How could they know that? Someone would have had to be spying on me, _watching_ me. Someone would have had to hear my conversation with Mrs. Newton. The thought made me shiver violently and I felt Esme put a strong, reassuring arm around my shoulder.

Someone had wanted me dead or out of the way or _something_. Someone had wanted to ruin everything.

My mind flashed back to what I had seen in the short time I had been in the parking lot: half of the building in flames against the cold, grey morning sky; frantic, alarmed people looking for friends, family, or whoever they had come to shop with; people just trying to escape. Some people wounded, already unable to go on, lying on the pavement. Random bits of junk scattered everywhere.

I knew without a doubt that there would be wounded people, but what if people had died? I didn't know exactly how many people had been in that building, but it was expected to be a busy day. What about Mike and Mrs. Newton? I thought miserably that if anyone died today, it was because of me. It was because I attracted weird monsters to me with some freaky magnetic force (and I was positive that it wasn't a human who had done this). It was because I was always in danger. It was because of my rotten luck.

And now they were telling me that Charlie had been hurt, too.

"If they take him to a hospital, can I see him?" I whispered, needing some kind of reassurance.

"Of course," Esme told me kindly.

I didn't even know what we were waiting for. The four of us just sat, perhaps waiting to hear word of what exactly had happened at Newton's or some kind of news about Charlie. Perhaps we were also waiting for word from Edward, or for something from Carlisle.

After awhile, I caught Alice looking at my sympathetically.

"Charlie is going to be all right, Bella," she said. "I can feel it, even if I can't see it."

Still not trusting my voice, I nodded my gratitude at her attempt to make me feel better.

After awhile, I felt myself start to drift off. I was leaning against Esme, and although she was cold, I drifted into unconsciousness. I was vaguely aware of her laying me down on the couch after awhile. I knew it was happening but it seemed like she was worlds away.

The couch was amazing, though. It was soft, comfortable, and just plain wonderful. I welcomed it gratefully, not even aware that I was that out of it.

The nightmares would probably come, but at that moment I didn't care. There was that one blissful space between being awake and dreaming: just being oblivious and unconscious, where things never seemed to matter as much.

If only I could stay there.


	19. Chapter 18: Neverending

_Chapter 18: Never-ending_

As I had predicted, the nightmare came.

I awoke thrashing, and felt a cold hand gently shaking me awake. I opened my eyes and saw that I was no longer on the couch. I was in the bedroom I had occupied during the time when Victoria was hunting me and I had to stay at the Cullen house. Alice was sitting on the bed next to me, and as I awoke, I gratefully took her hand. She held tight.

"I can't stand it, Alice," I whispered.

"I know," she whispered back, and I knew that she knew exactly what I meant: the nightmares.

"I've had them constantly since we've returned from that place the Volturi took us," I said as I stared up at her. "I can't remember the last time I had a decent night's sleep or a regular dream."

Alice nodded, a faraway look in her eyes. "Me neither….although, my circumstances are different. I haven't slept in quite awhile." She grinned at me and through my initial emotional discomfort, I couldn't help but smile back.

"Is Edward back?" I asked timidly.

Alice nodded. "He's downstairs," she said softly. "He came back two hours ago."

I remembered our awkward encounter from the day before and drew the covers over my head. Although Alice's voice should have sounded muffled to me from under the fabric, it came out strong and clear. "I'm not sure if you're hiding because you considered my note or because you completely ignored it," she said loudly.

"I read it," I mumbled.

"Well, in case you're interested," Alice went on. "Edward is consulting with Jacob Black downstairs." She wrinkled her nose. "Apparently, he has some news about the bomb."

Instantly, I threw the covers back and jumped out of bed. I followed Alice, who was already disappearing out the door. I wasn't sure if I was excited because Jacob was here, or because he had answers to all my burning questions about the bomb, or because I had to see Edward and Jacob communicating in a way that would make them work together.

Once we were in the living room, I saw from the glass window wall that Jacob and Edward were standing outside at the bottom of the steps. Jacob was saying something in a low voice and Edward was listening. Neither of them looked happy. I opened the door and made my way carefully down the steps. They both looked up. Edward's face betrayed no emotion, while Jacob's grin lit up his face.

"Hey Bella!" he said happily, coming over and giving me a hug that was incredibly toasty warm. I didn't meet Edward's gaze.

"Hey Jake!" I tried to smile as he stepped back. "What's up?" I wanted to say bluntly, _What's going on? What are you guys discussing? What is so dangerous or important that it would come to this, you two conversing practically on Edward's doorstep?_

"I've got…news about the bomb," Jacob said, lowering his voice a bit.

"What is it?" I asked immediately.

"It's an incredibly long story, Bella," Jacob said uncertainly, glancing back at Edward, and I knew that was his way of saying he couldn't stay long.

I stared at both of them. "I have…time."

"I'm sure they'll fill you in," Jacob said darkly, before turning to me and dropping his voice to a whisper. Not that it mattered, because Edward could still hear him, plus read his mind.

"Bella, why don't you come stay with us in La Push?"

I could only look at him, not really comprehending what he was saying. "Um…what do you mean?"

"Considering who is now tracking you, I think you'd be safest with us," Jacob explained. "They're kind of our…um, match. I think you'd be better off there than you would here."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward's eyes narrow.

"Jake, I really appreciate that," I told him. "But, I don't think I'm staying here. I'm going home."

By the looks on both of their faces, I knew I wasn't. I felt a very familiar feeling of dread and disappointment, as I stepped backwards up to the first step. I wrapped my arms around myself.

"You can't really go home, Bella," Jacob said quietly. "It's not safe at all, and with Charlie not being there right now-"

"How is he?" I asked immediately. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah," Jacob said, his voice even softer. "Don't worry, Bella. He'll be fine."

I didn't buy that response for a moment.

"So what do you think?" Jacob asked me. "Will you come stay with us?"

I didn't know how to answer that. I really just wanted to go home, but if that couldn't be the case, I felt like I couldn't just leave the Cullens hanging, after all they had done for me. I didn't want to insult them.

Jacob must have seen what I was thinking in my eyes, because he went on, his voice barely a whisper. "It'll be fun, Bella. I promise. We'll tell legends and hang out and you can spend the entire day on the beach if you want to…"

I bit my lip before answering. "Jacob, that sounds great. It really does. But can I just have a few hours to think it over?"

Jacob nodded, although I knew he was wondering what I possibly had to think over.

"I'll call you," I promised.

"Okay," Jacob said, pulling me to him for another super-warm hug. I hugged him back gratefully.

"I'll talk to you soon, Jake."

He waved, and with one last look at Edward, he ran off into the woods.

I wasn't about to stand outside with Edward, so I turned quickly and jogged up the steps. I was almost safely to the top, when I stumbled. Edward was at my side in a flash, his hands on my waist, setting me on my feet again.

"Thanks," I muttered, trying to ignore how it felt like electricity where he had just touched me.

Alice was sitting impatiently on the couch and I immediately went and sat next to her. Edward leaned against the wall. I waited for the answers that I hoped were coming.

"They're wolves," Edward said finally, his tone grim. "Remember that wolf that attacked you at the Volturi house a week ago? There are more of them."

My stomach danced dangerously as I remembered that wolf. My heart, with the scar from the wolf claw still plainly in sight, began to ache. "And now they're here?" I asked, my voice dry.

Edward nodded. "They're kind of similar to Jacob and his pack; they're humans that can transform into wolves. But they're Italian wolves – larger and much more dangerous."

Italian wolves? Italy reminded me of a few things. Like the Volturi and most of all, Angelo.

"What do they want from me?" I asked quietly, almost fearing the answer.

"Apparently Victoria had some backup, in case she ever perished," Edward continued. "Although normally vampires and wolves don't mix, they were at Victoria's beck and call, for some reason or another. I don't think I want to know that reason. But they were enlisted, almost like her personal army. If she was ever destroyed, then they'd take over her job."

I leaned back in the soft couch, my fear stabbing me repeatedly in the gut. _They'd take over her job…_Her job of making sure I was dead.

"It took a few weeks for the news of Victoria's demise to reach them," Edward said. "But it did and that's why one wolf tracked you to Vegas and then to the Volturi house. That's why they're all here in Forks now."

Jacob's words suddenly made sense. _They're kind of our…um, match. I think you'd be better off there than you would here._

"You can thank your dog friend for that information," Edward said cynically, turning and leaving the room.

Alice wrinkled her nose for the second time that day.

"It's never-ending, isn't it?" I whispered.

Alice nodded in agreement, but seemed deep in thought about something. "I don't understand," she murmured to herself.

"What's that?" I asked.

"I had a vision that the bomb was going to happen," she told me. "But I usually can't 'see' anything in the future if wolves are involved. This is probably because I've never been one."

I let Alice's discovery sink in and felt nothing but confusion.

"Wolves were obviously involved," she whispered. "So how did I see that coming?"

I didn't know. There were too many unanswered questions and the only thing I knew for sure was that Victoria hadn't lost yet. Even though she was gone, she was still haunting me in her own way.

I sat with Alice and let the fear wash over me.

What if I wasn't so lucky this time?

* * *

**A/N: So I told myself that while I was in school, I should probably concentrate on only one fanfic story. But an idea came to me today and I just started a new story: "And It Stoned Me", which can be found on my profile page. I couldn't resist. I thought I'd mention that because although I'm going to update Break These Chains as much as I can, if for some reason I don't for a few days or a week or so, I don't want you to think I'm giving up on it. It's probably just because of the new story. **

**But I'm not giving up on this story because...I don't give up on stories. I can't leave stuff unfinished - it'll drive me insane.**

**So feel free to check out my new story and let me know what you think, or just stick around here for the next update.**

**Thank you, as always, for the support. =)**


	20. Chapter 19: Brown Wolf

_Chapter 19: Brown Wolf_

It was decided that while I stayed at the Cullen house and while I slept, I would have to have someone watch over me, whether I liked it or not.

Honestly, I hated the idea.

To me, sleeping had always been a time for _me_, a time when I could recharge on my own and not have to deal with anyone. And the idea of someone watching me while I slept made me unbearably uncomfortable. The notion that I would have nightmares didn't help either. I didn't want anyone to see me thrash or scream.

"Bella," Alice told me that night as I crawled under the covers. "It really is for your own good. All we can think of is how earlier this summer Victoria had ended up in your room without us knowing and left you that black rose…" She trailed off and I shuddered. She had a point there. I didn't want any werewolves in my room and especially no werewolves with roses.

So that was how I ended up lying in the bed of the spare room in the Cullen house on the night of the bomb, with Alice settled cross-legged in the over-stuffed chair on my left.

"Alice?"

"Bella?" I heard her voice come from the darkness.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be here or how long this is going to go on," I whispered. "But…will it always be you who watches over me at night?" It really didn't matter which Cullen watched over me, but I would have preferred it to be either Alice. I couldn't even fathom Edward watching over me at this point.

"If you want it to be," Alice replied. "I'll always be the one."

"Thank you," I said, sighing as I began to drift off.

A few hours later, I awoke screaming, like always, and grabbing fistfuls of blanket. I unconsciously pressed my face into the pillow, muffling the sound. This was one of the worst parts: being in that uncomfortable, semi-conscious space where I wasn't immersed in the nightmare anymore but I wasn't completely awake either. It was the part where I desperately tried to wake up.

I heard a soothing voice calming me. "Sshh Bella, it's all right…"

It wasn't all right. At least not in my dreams it wasn't.

"I'm here; I won't let anything happen to you _ever_. It's all right…"

Who was here? It was a male voice, so it certainly wasn't Alice.

I felt a cold hand on my forehead. I opened my eyes quickly, hoping to see Alice's familiar face but seeing someone completely different instead.

Edward, of course.

As soon as I recovered from my nightmare and understanding dawned on my face, as soon as he knew that I knew it was him, he swiftly withdrew his hand and rose from the edge of the bed. He backed away and sat in the chair that Alice usually occupied.

I sat up, trying to breathe normally. My throat was sore and I was drenched in sweat…I felt disgusting. I quickly wiped the tears that usually accompanied my dreams out of eyes and looked around the dark room. I was dismayed to find that it most definitely was not morning yet.

"Where's Alice?" I mumbled.

"Something came up and she had to leave," Edward told me quietly and the sight of him nearly took my breath away. He sat straight and composed in the chair, entirely in black, his bronze hair like fire in the darkness and the moon gleaming in his topaz eyes.

I blinked a few times to snap out of my trance and listened to what else he was telling me. "Rosalie and Emmett still hadn't come back and Jasper was about to set out to search for them, when Alice had a vision. She had to take him to the scene of the vision. So, I took over as your…guardian."

I tried not to notice the way the word guardian burned my very soul when he said it.

"The wolves?" I asked him, silently inquiring if that was the cause of the trouble.

"The wolves," he agreed.

Dread circulated within my stomach. I dropped my head in my hands and massaged my throbbing forehead. There was no way I would be able to sleep now, knowing that part of the Cullen family was possibly in danger out there and knowing that Edward was now my watcher. Hadn't this been what I was afraid of?

I was pulled from my thoughts by Edward's smooth voice.

"The number of enemies you have astounds me," he told me.

I stared at him. The tone of his voice was carefully guarded, so I wasn't sure if he was being frustrated, humorous, or both.

"Me too," I said awkwardly.

A few uncomfortable moments went by. "You can try and sleep again," Edward suggested, never taking his eyes off of me. "I'll be here."

I nodded and rolled over to my side, so that I wasn't facing him. I pulled the covers up to my chin and squeezed my eyes shut. I would never be able to sleep. Sleep was now literally impossible. Eventually, I opened my eyes and stared out the window. The moon was full and bright, and it made me think of every legend I had ever heard about werewolves…people who turned into them on the night of a full moon. I internally snorted. How had myths become my reality?

I'm not sure how many minutes went by, but Edward must have sensed that I wasn't sleeping because he spoke again.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I wasn't sure what he meant. There were so many things to talk about: our relationship, my nightmares, the wolves, the bomb.

"I don't know," I replied, and I sincerely did not know at all. I could have an emotional conversational one night stand: tell Edward all my fears and troubles, and then pretend it didn't happen the next day.

"How's Charlie doing?" I asked instead.

"He's going to be fine," Edward's voice answered from behind me.

"Did anyone die in the bombing?"

"No." I was relieved to hear that.

I had one burning question that I had wanted to voice ever since I had heard that the wolves were Victoria's back-up crew. Taking a shaky breath, I asked it.

"Angelo….does this mean it was all for nothing?" The thought had latched onto my mind like a leech. Angelo had died to save me from Victoria, but if Victoria had back-up wolves…had he died in vain, for absolutely nothing?

I felt the bed shift and I knew Edward had sat back on the side of it, next to me. He was so close that I shivered. "Of course not," he said softly. "What Angelo did was die for you and that will never be considered as nothing. No one could have known that Victoria had a plan B."

I sat up and turned to look at him. The look in his eyes was so sincere, and for once, not pained. His face was merely inches away from mine and it seemed as if he was leaning in slightly. All the memories from the past bombarded me from every direction; every touch that had left me dazed and every kiss we had shared before he had left. But I didn't care. I found myself leaning in too, my heartbeat immediately increasing…

And that was when a door slammed downstairs. I immediately drew back and I saw Edward close his eyes, almost as if he was disappointed. But there were more important things to worry about at that moment. I slipped out of the bed and ran into the hall, Edward following.

The entire Cullen family, minus Carlisle who was at the hospital tending to bomb patients, was assembled in the living room. I made my way down the stairs and stood at the bottom, holding onto the railing. I sensed that Edward was standing behind me.

Rosalie had her arms crossed and a very proud, dignified look on her face. "One more down, three to go," she told me.

I felt the tiniest surge of hope. "You mean…"

"That's right," Rosalie replied and Emmett slung an arm around her shoulder.

"What happened?" Esme asked, sitting on the couch. She glanced at me and must have sensed my discomfort, because she patted the spot next to her. I gratefully went and sat with her.

"Well Rose and I were out looking for the mutts shortly after we heard about the bomb," Emmett began. "We weren't having much luck…"

"Until I had a vision," Alice piped in, taking over the story. "Rosalie and Emmett had been gone for awhile and Jasper was going to go find them. But I had a vision of exactly where Rosalie and Emmett were, and although I couldn't see wolves in my vision, I sensed danger, so we immediately left." She looked apologetically at me, as if to apologize for leaving me behind with Edward.

"There were four wolves left at the time," Jasper explained. "Rosalie managed to capture one and she came out on top."

"The mangy brown one is dead," Rosalie said confidently.

There had been five at the very start and now there were only three left. And it was definitely progress. "Thank you," I said quietly to them and for the first time since I could remember, Rosalie smiled at me.

The Cullen family began to talk a bit more about the ordeal and as they did, Alice took my hand and pulled me up from the couch. She walked me up the stairs, past Edward, and back to my room, helping me into the bed. "Bella, I'm really sorry about having to leave you with Edward," she told me. "But I had that vision and I knew I had to set out and help…"

"Alice, it's fine," I said wearily as I pulled the blankets around me.

Alice took her place back in the chair and all was silent. I thought about Rosalie slaying the brown wolf, and thought about how there were three more to go. I also thought about the first one that had been killed back at the Victorian house.

"Alice?"

"Bella?"

"Who killed the first wolf, back when we were staying with the Volturi?" I asked. I was aware that it had died, but I had been in so much pain at the time that I hadn't noticed who had been my avenger.

"Edward," Alice replied quietly.

"Oh," I whispered, suddenly too tired to carry on the conversation. I drifted off to a blissfully dreamless sleep, with Rosalie's words echoing in my head…

_One more down, three to go._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: Merry Christmas Eve, everyone! =)**


	21. Chapter 20: Mirage

_Chapter 20: Mirage_

If I didn't get a decent night's sleep soon, I was going to crack.

In fact, I couldn't even remember the last time I had slept through the entire night, without waking to scream or cry or recover from a nightmare. It was really starting to take a toll on my well being; I was exhausted during the day, physically and mentally, and restless at night.

Edward had gone and gotten my car from the parking lot of Newton's Sporting Goods and parked it outside the Cullen house in the meantime. As I glanced out the living room window, I remembered that I had something that could potentially help me in my glove compartment.

While the Cullens were immersed in their own activities (no doubt still keeping an eye and an ear out for me), I wandered out of the house, down the steps, and over to my truck. I slipped into the passenger seat, tossing my dead cell phone aside. I sat there and stared at my glove compartment.

I had sleeping pills in there and not because I was a desperate druggie. Around the time that Edward left the previous year, the nightmares were awful and Charlie had taken me to see a doctor. I knew he wanted me to tell them I was depressed, but instead I told them I couldn't sleep, and they had prescribed sleeping pills.

I'd shoved them in my glove compartment because Jessica had told me horror stories of people who got addicted to sleeping pills, or how pills sometimes made nightmares worse and more realistic.

I didn't actually know if I'd even try them now. But it was kind of comforting to know that they were there, just in case.

At that moment, I sensed movement out of the corner of my eye and I jumped. I quickly looked to my right, where the passenger door still stood open. Edward had appeared, and almost as if he feared that I would run away from him, he closed the door and leaned against it. Luckily for him, the window was already down.

I stared at him, not sure what he could possibly want. He stared back, his gaze intense. After a few moments, he held up something in his hand. I narrowed my eyes as I saw that it was the bottle of sleeping pills that were _supposed_ to be in my glove compartment.

"Bella, what exactly were you doing with these?" he asked me bitterly.

"I could ask you what exactly you were doing in my glove compartment," I retorted, feeling momentarily violated.

"When I went to get your truck, your glove compartment was already open," Edward said coldly, his grip tightening on the bottle of pills. "The impact of the bomb must have forced it open."

I continued to glare at him, my jaw set.

"And _these_ were a bit difficult to ignore," he continued.

"You think I'm a drug addict!" I said angrily.

"I didn't say that," Edward replied, his voice stone. "I'm just concerned for your well being and I have no idea why you would need these, let alone why you're hiding them."

"You know Edward, I don't think you'd really understand my use for sleeping pills, since you don't sleep. You don't know what it's like to lose sleep, to have difficulty functioning."

"Where'd you even get them?" Edward asked me firmly and I couldn't answer him.

If I answered, then I would have to remind him how when he left, I was a complete disaster and then I would have to tell him how I couldn't sleep, had to see a doctor, etc.

Blinking a bit, I looked down at the door handle. I could have tried to escape out the opposite end, the driver's side door, but Edward was very fast and would have no doubt blocked it before I even reached the other side. Instead, I tried to be civil. "Could you please let me out?"

Edward's eyes burned. "Bella…"

"Please?" I asked, my voice still level and calm, my eyes pleading. I didn't want to fight with him anymore. I cared about him too much and I also didn't have the energy to fight.

Edward lowered his voice as well, and managed to make it even gentler than mine. He leaned in closer. "Just talk to me, Bella, please. I'm worried about you."

I sat back in the seat, not wanting to look at him while I explained my woeful excuse. The tears burned my throat. "When…when you left last year…" I swallowed with difficulty. "I was depressed." I didn't want to see the guilt in his eyes and I didn't want him to feel bad, but it was the cold, hard truth. "I was having a hard time, I had nightmares, I couldn't sleep well…"

I didn't like explaining it out loud to someone else because it made it seem even more realistic. "And…Charlie took me to a doctor to see if something could be done about the depression…" Pathetic. _Edward, I had to be taken to a doctor because of what you did to me_, I thought dryly.

"And I told them instead that I couldn't sleep and they gave me those…" I finished, staring at my hands, fidgeting nervously on my lap.

It was silent for a few moments, before Edward finally spoke. I saw him weigh the bottle carefully in the palm of his hand. "It feels like none are even missing," he murmured.

"That's because there aren't any missing," I told him. "I couldn't bring myself to take them so I stored them in there and forgot about them."

"And now you're considering taking them?" Edward asked me quietly.

I opened the door and carefully pushed Edward back a few steps so I could get out. I know he only backed up voluntarily; if he had been trying to keep me in the truck, there is no way I would have gotten out.

"I guess not," I said miserably, circling around the back of the truck and making my way back up to the Cullen house. If I focused on the conversation I had just had, surely I would explode. Instead, I tried to remain busy. I wandered into the living room and asked Esme if I could use their phone, and I called Jacob.

I told Jacob that as much as I appreciated it, I would have to turn down his offer to stay in La Push. Jacob was clearly disappointed but I knew he was making an effort not to show it. He said that he had seen a strange looking tan wolf roaming around the reservation, definitely not one of their pack, and so maybe it would be best if I stayed where I was.

I made my way back up to the guest room and collapsed on the bed. I was slowly starting to drift into what could have been a potentially restful sleep, when I heard a bang outside my window. Groaning, I rolled off of the bed and made my way irritably to the window.

At first, I didn't see anything and I considered it a false alarm. That was, until I saw a flash of plaid somewhere in the forest.

I opened the window as wide as it would go and stuck my head out. I had never seen any of the Cullens wear plaid and so I was a bit alarmed. That was also when I heard voices coming from the yard below. I knew I shouldn't eavesdrop, but it was kind of hard to ignore. Alice and Edward weren't exactly keeping their voices down…

"Edward, honestly, I don't see any other way!" Alice was saying.

"I don't like the idea of using her as bait," Edward replied. "We did that last time."

"And it worked!"

"At the cost of somebody else's life," Edward said bitterly and I was reminded of Angelo. Feeling a sudden weight on my mood, I was about to sink to the floor and mope, when I saw the flash of plaid again.

Edward and Alice had fallen silent and I wondered if they had seen it too. I once again looked out the window, straining my eyes to see.

I couldn't believe my eyes when suddenly a very familiar figure appeared to step out of the woods.

It was Charlie.

I froze. There were so many things wrong with this scenario. For one thing, Charlie was injured and in the hospital and the Charlie that stood before me now was in perfect health. And why would he be roaming the forest behind the Cullen house? If he wanted to visit me, surely he would have used the front door…

I noticed vaguely that my vision had started to become a bit hazy, almost as if I were seeing a mirage. I couldn't tear my eyes off of Charlie, and I didn't understand this, because it was only Charlie. It wasn't a big deal, even if the circumstance were a bit strange.

But I could not look away, let alone turn and walk away. I felt like I was in an unbreakable trance beyond my control. My eyes were glued to Charlie, who was standing at the edge of the woods, staring back at me. I began to feel dizzy, almost sick, and I wondered if I was seeing things, if I was finally going completely insane.

I found myself leaning even further out the window when suddenly someone yanked me back from the window and down to the floor, breaking the trance and bringing me back to reality.

* * *

**A/N: I apologize for the cliff hanger, but I needed time to figure out what I wanted to happen next. Furthermore, I wasn't sure which Cullen should be the one to yank Bella down and save her from the "mirage". Any suggestions? =)**


	22. Chapter 21: Grey Wolf & New Discoveries

_Chapter 21: Grey Wolf_

Alarmed, I looked over my shoulder to see who had pulled me to the ground.

To my complete surprise, I saw Rosalie. But she wasn't looking at me. She was looking towards the window, her stare full of poison.

"R-Rosalie!" I stammered, caught completely off guard.

She had gotten off of the ground and stood in front of the open window for a few moments, before looking down at me.

"Stay right here, Bella," she said, her voice strangely…supportive. "And whatever you do, do _not_ look out the window." And with that, she jumped onto the windowsill, sly as a cat, before jumping out into the yard. I wanted to go to the window and see where she was going, but instead, I leaned against the wall, confused.

At that moment, Jasper rushed into the room and to my side. He took my hands in his cold ones, and pulled me to my feet, as I felt a comforting, calm feeling spread through me. "Bella, we're getting out of here," he told me quietly, leading me to the door.

I heard a bang then that shook the whole house and that made me stumble into the wall. Jasper caught me, before lifting me up in his arms and running at vampire speed to the garage.

As Jasper opened the back door of Carlisle's Meredes for me, I saw that Esme was already in the passenger seat. I scrambled into the car as quickly as I could without bumping my head. Jasper then got in the driver's seat and opened the garage door, before peeling out at such an alarming speed that my stomach felt like it was on a roller coaster.

As soon as we were half way down the Cullen driveway, he slammed on the breaks, and we came to a stop with a sickening lurch. "We forgot Alice," he murmured, and a few seconds later, she appeared beside the car, wrenching open the back door and getting in next to me.

"Thanks _Jasper_," she said angrily, and after a moment, "Don't you dare!" I saw him smile a bit in the rearview mirror as I realized he was trying to calm her down. We set off again, down the windy path. I wondered vaguely where we were going but I didn't want to ask too many questions. I figured everyone's first priority was getting away from the house.

Jasper was driving so fast that the trees went by in a hazy, green blur. A light rain had begun to fall, as the afternoon sun disappeared behind an array of dark, storm clouds. I leaned back into the seat, feeling slightly cold. I tried not to think about all the questions that I desperately wanted to ask. What was Charlie doing in the backyard? Was that even Charlie? Where did Rosalie go, what was that bang, why were we leaving, and where were we going?

Where was Edward?

We drove on for what was a good half an hour. Although I wanted to stay awake and alert, I found myself drifting off into a light sleep. It was what I usually did when I was on a car ride with nothing to do.

I was actually feeling a bit comfortable when all of a sudden the Mercedes came to a halt that would have thrown me straight into the back of Jasper's seat, if Alice hadn't put an arm out to hold me back. I saw her stick her head up front, whispering to Esme and Jasper in a voice to low for me to make out. In the rearview mirror, I saw Jasper's eyes narrow.

Before I could blink, both he and Alice had left the car, and Esme had climbed into the driver's seat, locking the car doors. I turned around in my seat, trying desperately to see out the window and through the fog that had consumed the area.

"Esme," I whispered. "What's going on?"

Esme had already started the car and was driving away. "Bella dear," she said quietly. "One of the wolves is trailing us. Jasper and Alice went after it. It's simply too dangerous to pretend we don't know it's behind us."

I stared out the window as I asked another question. "Where are we going?"

"A hotel," Esme replied, her eyes never leaving the road. We were still driving fast and I wondered in awe how Esme could even see where she was going.

We drove on in silence, Esme once gently reaching back to pat my leg and ask me if I was all right. I had begun to lost track of the time, when suddenly we stopped again. Esme unlocked the doors and the two doors on the right hand side opened. Alice slid into the passenger seat next to Esme, and Jasper slipped in next to me. Alice looked euphoric, while Jasper just looked annoyed.

"It's dead?" Esme inquired, as we started to drive again.

"Yes!" Alice sang out. "Three down, two to go!"

Jasper grumbled something, and Alice turned around and shot him a look.

"We killed the dumbest wolf in the pack," he said quietly. "That's quite an accomplishment." I tried to hide a smile at the sarcasm I heard in his voice.

"So what?" Alice said optimistically. "It was still part of the pack and now it's not."

Jasper turned to me and winked. "It was a dumb wolf." I couldn't help but smile back.

Now that the mood was slightly lighter, I decided to ask some more of my burning questions.

"Was Charlie really in the backyard?" I asked quietly.

Everyone was silent for a moment before Jasper answered.

"No," he explained softly. "That was a trick. The leader of the wolf pack – that's the white one – has this special ability, and he's the only one of the pack that can do it. He can morph into almost anything, in order to catch his prey."

"And the scary thing is," Esme added, "that once a human or an animal looks into the white wolf's eyes, it's almost impossible to look away. They can't break that trance and they think that this 'mirage' that they are seeing is real."

"And so they begin to go towards it," Alice said, still facing Jasper and I. "Like you did, Bella. The wolf made it seem like he was Charlie, and once you looked into those eyes, you were ensnared. If Rose hadn't been there, you probably would have fallen right out of the window."

I shivered. "That's so…freaky."

All three vampires nodded in agreement.

"How is Charlie?" I asked softly.

"He's doing very well," Alice told me sincerely. "I've seen his future and he's going to make a quick recovery."

"Once we sort out this mess, we'll take you to see him, dear," Esme told me. I nodded my thanks.

It was evening when we finally pulled into the large parking lot of a hotel. We had been driving for hours, and my three guardians had asked me countless times if I wanted to stop for a break or to eat, but I refused. I didn't want to stop; I wanted to keep going.

I wasn't even sure where we were. Esme opened my door for me and I stepped out, looking around. It was dark out now, the rain still falling. Alice linked her arm through mine and we all walked into the lobby.

Jasper ended up booking two different family suites for us. Since the Cullen clan didn't sleep, we probably could have gotten away with one, since I was the only one who needed a bed. But to avoid suspicion (eight people in one suite would seem a bit odd), Jasper had taken the safe route and booked two. I assumed that meant Carlisle, Rosalie, Emmett, and Edward would be joining us in time.

The four of us made our way to the top floor, and to the first suite. I wasn't a huge fan of luxury, but this was cozy and I felt safe. There was a wide, spacious living room area, with a large TV, a couch, and two armchairs. There was a small kitchen, complete with a refrigerator, a breakfast bar, and a microwave. There were two bedrooms, each with a queen sized bed and a bathroom.

I sat on the couch with Jasper, as Alice suddenly groaned. We all looked expectantly at her.

"Bella, we didn't bring any necessities for you!"

That was seriously the least of my worries. "That's all right," I assured her. "We get free soap and shampoo here."

She pouted a bit and I knew she was thinking of clothes. Personally, I was more concerned about my toothbrush.

We sat around the TV, hearing it but not really watching it. We were waiting for news from the others. Again, Esme, Jasper, and Alice offered to take me to get something to eat, or to have something brought up from room service, but I politely refused. I wasn't hungry.

Three hours went by with no news from anyone. Around nine, I decided to just go to bed. I chose the room that was located in the middle and that didn't have a window. I felt better that way. I crawled under the covers, Alice chirping to me the entire time that we would find pajamas for me the next day no matter _what_. I fell asleep with the soft glow of the bedside lamp silhouetting the room.

A few hours later, I awoke sobbing.

The nightmares were getting worse. And I found it strange that because I was in a hotel room full of people and because I didn't want to disturb anyone, I was unconsciously crying uncontrollably instead of screaming. I didn't even realize at first that I was doing this.

Thank you nightmares for trying to be such a convenience to everyone else.

I had turned my face into the pillow to muffle the sound. I was wide awake now, but shock and fear still held me in their icy grip. I pulled the covers over my head, hoping I'd eventually cry myself to sleep. It was scaring me how out of control my emotions felt.

Suddenly, I felt someone gently pulling the covers off of me. They picked me up in their cold arms and brought me to the adjoining bathroom. The sudden light hurt my eyes.

My savior sat on the closed toilet seat, still cradling me in their arms as they turned on the sink that was directly next to the toilet. After a few moments, I felt someone wiping my hot face with a cool washcloth. It felt amazing. I still hadn't opened my eyes; it felt like they were swollen shut.

"Oh Bella," I heard the savior sigh, and I stiffened as I recognized the voice.

My savior was Edward.

He must have felt my sudden stiffness, because he rubbed my back soothingly, holding me closer. I didn't care about anything in that moment. I let him hold me, rocking me back and forth, as I buried my face in the soft fabric of his shirt. I felt no discomfort or tension being around him; only safety and calm. After a few minutes, the light didn't bother me anymore and I fell asleep from sheer emotional exhaustion.

When I awoke the next morning, I was back in the bed and feeling so much better. I realized I hadn't had one nightmare the second part of my night. I reasoned that it was morning, although it was pitch black in my room because I had no window. I reached over to the bedside table and flipped on the lamp, squeezing my eyes shut until they could adjust. I rolled onto my side and shrieked in surprise, nearly falling out of the bed.

Alice was sitting next to me, grinning.

"Alice!" I exclaimed, putting a hand on my rapidly beating heart.

"I'm sorry Bella," she giggled. "I didn't mean to scare you."

"How long have you been there?" I asked her, scotching closer to the middle of the bed, away from the edge.

"A few hours," she shrugged, uninterested in the time she had spent on the bed. She grinned widely at me again. "How did you sleep?"

I remembered the night before and had a dim memory of sitting with Edward in the bathroom. "I don't know," I muttered.

"My brother helped you sleep?" she inquired, trying to jump start my memory, no doubt.

"I guess."

"Well, wait until you've heard the theory Rose and I came up with!" Alice said and I looked at her suspiciously.

"What if we told you that we might have a cure for your nightmares, for the time being?" Alice asked me.

"I'd say, bring that cure on, please," I told her.

"We think that your nightmares are caused by trauma," Alice explained to me carefully. "You've been having nightmares whenever you encounter an enemy; first it was Victoria, then the Volturi, and now the wolf pack. So obviously, once the last of the wolves are destroyed, your nightmares will cease to exist."

"That's all very well, Alice," I said, throwing the covers off of me and sitting up. "But are you telling me that I have to wait until the other two wolves are destroyed before I can have a decent night's sleep again?"

"No, Bella!" Alice said, as if I were missing the most obvious thing in the world. "You can have a decent night's sleep, but you're probably not going to approve of the method."

"Just tell me," I grumbled.

"Edward is your key to that," Alice told me.

I stared at her.

"What I mean is," Alice continued, "is that I've had some visions of you waking up from nightmares in the future, and Edward consoling you. And he is the only one that can fight off your nightmares. If you're near him at night, or if you experience his touch, then the nightmares stay away."

"What?" I said incredulously. "I don't understand."

"Me neither!" Alice exclaimed, grabbing my hands in excitement.

"What are you saying!" I was pleading with her. She was confusing me to no end.

Rosalie had appeared in the doorway. "What Alice is saying is that you have to fall asleep either in Edward's arms or with Edward very near to you," Rosalie explained. "And only that way can you avoid nightmares."

"Why Edward?" I asked them.

"Well if you'd prefer someone else, we can go grab the luggage boy downstairs for you," Rosalie said with a smug smile.

"No," I said immediately. "I mean, why is it that Edward has this ability?"

"Because he loves you," Alice said lightly, before standing up and grabbing Rosalie's hand. They exited the room, leaving me with this complex, new information.

I lay back down, pulling the covers to my chin. The thoughts that they had planted in my head were terrifying and it involved getting on good terms with Edward again. But I had to admit, it made a lot of sense. And I couldn't ignore that when Edward had held me the night before, how every trace of my nightmare had disappeared.


	23. Chapter 22: Reconciliations & Tan Wolf

_Chapter 22: Reconciliations & Tan Wolf_

I spent the entire day dreading that night.

I tried to prepare myself. If Edward were to stay with me the entire night, I wouldn't want to know about it. I wanted to be so exhausted that I would fall asleep immediately and stay asleep the entire awkward night. And sitting around in a hotel room all day would not be the key to that. However, I couldn't leave the hotel so my options were limited.

The best I could do was walk aimlessly around the hotel with Jasper, getting cardiovascular exercise. I asked him to do this with me at least every two hours. There was truly nothing else to do; it was my only means of trying to become tired.

As I sat in the hotel bed that night reading, the door slowly opened and I felt my posture stiffen, expecting Edward. But instead, Alice poked her head in. "Ready?" she whispered.

"No!" I threw the book aside and motioned for her to come in. She danced over.

"Alice, why can't _you_ keep the nightmares away?" I demanded.

"Because obviously, that would be too convenient for you," she replied. I glared at her and she grinned slightly. "Bella, you and Edward have got to get over this. Remember how there was a time when you were both inseparable?"

I remembered but I didn't like to think about it.

Alice put a cold hand on mine. "You'll be fine. Really Bella, what would you rather have, a restful night's sleep or a restless, terror-filled night's sleep?"

I sighed. There was no way around it then.

"You'll be fine!" Alice assured me as she gave me a quick hug and left the room.

I reached over and turned out the lamp, before rolling onto my side. Maybe this would be ten times less awkward if I pretended that I was already asleep. I pulled the covers over my head and waited nervously.

I heard the door open so quietly that I was surprised I even heard it. It closed and there was silence. After a few moments, I felt the bed shift a bit under the weight of someone. I closed my eyes tightly and tried to breathe normally.

I heard a sigh. "Bella, I know you're awake."

I pulled the covers off of my head. My eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness and so I couldn't make Edward's figure out, not even his pale skin. I felt a quick movement beside me.

I reached out and turned on the lamp, figuring I wasn't going to sleep anytime soon. The quick movement I had felt was Edward positioning himself on the bed. He was sitting next to me, leaning against the headboard with his arms crossed. When the light came on, he had looked down at me. I looked back.

"Bella, you have no reason to be nervous," he said quietly. "Just try and sleep. I'll be right here."

I considered this, before relaxing a tiny bit and closing my eyes.

"You should know that there's nowhere else I want to be," he mumbled and my eyes snapped open.

"What did you say?" I whispered.

He looked away and this unnerved me. Edward really only looked away when something was bothering him or when he didn't want to talk about something. I sat up and leaned against the headboard as well.

"I said that I want to be here," he whispered after a few moments. "I want to help you."

"You really have that kind of power over me?" I asked him, trying to keep the suspicion out of my voice. "That you can keep the nightmares away, that you can help me sleep?"

Edward nodded. "According to Alice I do."

We sat in silence for a few moments. I began to think, to flashback to everything that had happened between us, since our first encounter in another country earlier in the summer. I thought about that and then I thought about how things had been before he left the year before. It was like two totally different worlds.

I hated it.

"Edward?" I whispered.

"Yes?"

"What happened?" I said it so quietly, a mere ghost of a whisper, but I knew that his vampire-hearing caught it.

"I don't know," he replied and I felt his eyes burning a hole in me as I looked at my lap.

There was another lengthy silence, before Edward spoke again, his voice lined with a heavy angst. "But I do know that it's my fault and that I will never, _ever_ forgive myself."

I looked at him. "Don't say that."

"Why?" he challenged me. "You know it's true."

"No it's not," I retorted. I had always hated it when he blamed himself for things, especially things that didn't matter anymore.

"Bella, this all began when I left you. This all began when I thought I was doing what was best for you, by disappearing from your life. And what I did was leave you shattered, beyond repair."

I remembered those depressing months after he had left and my chest began to ache as he continued. "And even now, I can tell that you're still trying to pick up the pieces. I look at you every single day and see that you're still trying to make those pieces fit again."

"The pieces don't matter anymore," I muttered, wanting to shift the conversation in a different direction.

"Of course they do," Edward said softly. "Which is why I'm here, doing the only thing that I know I can do to do to reach out to you. It's why I'm protecting you from your demons."

My demons. The phrase made me shiver.

"You should know that I'm sorry, too," I told him, wrapping my arms around myself.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," he said and I noticed a tremor that rippled through his voice.

"Ever since earlier this summer you've been trying to make things right again," I said, tears burning my lids. "And I've been nothing but stubborn and difficult."

"You have every right to be after what I did," Edward whispered, and the agony in his voice made a stray, traitorous tear fall down my cheek. Sensing my grief, he turned to me.

"Bella," he whispered.

"Even when you were trying to save my _life_, I wouldn't let you," I pointed out in the lowest of voices, not completely trusting my voice to remain steady.

"I understand why because what I would have been giving you in return was not even a life," he argued. "I understand why you reacted the way you did. Who would want to spend eternity in never-ending darkness with a monster?"

"Stop!" I told him, as another tear streamed down my face. "Stop saying that about yourself."

He reached over and gently brushed my tears away with his thumb. "But the thing is Bella," he murmured. "I can't believe that you thought I was only doing it out of guilt."

I looked away, feeling my own sense of guilt creeping over me.

"Nothing I ever do for you is out of guilt," he said intensely. "It's all out of _love_."

I couldn't say anything. I was too overwhelmed.

"And it's incredibly selfish of me," Edward continued. "Have you ever realized how difficult it would be for me to go on immortally without you? That's all I could think about."

I bent my head, hiding my face with a curtain of long, brown hair. I didn't want him to see how our conversation was affecting me.

After a few moments, Edward spoke again. "Bella," he said softly. "You should try and get some sleep."

I nodded, and reached over to turn off the lamp. I lay back down, staring up at the ceiling, hoping that Edward couldn't see the tears that were streaming down the side of my face and into my ears because I was lying down.

"Bella," Edward whispered again, his voice pained. As my eyes adjusted, I saw him drop his head into his hands. With an aching heart, I reached out to him and took his hand, entwining my fingers in his to let him know that I was there and that I didn't want him to feel the way he did. And that was my last thought as I drifted off to sleep.

I awoke in the middle of the night. But for once it wasn't a nightmare that awoke me; it was my bladder. I slipped out of the bed and walked quietly to the bathroom; although I don't know why I bothered being quiet because I knew Edward was awake.

As I was in the bathroom, I thought about how I hadn't had a nightmare or even a dream of any kind. I thought about what a peaceful sleep I had had thus far and realized that Alice had been right.

I exited the bathroom and stumbled my way through the darkness back to the bed. I saw Edward looking anxiously at me as I slipped back under the blankets.

"No nightmares," I assured him and saw him relax visibly. He took my hand in his and almost immediately, I fell back asleep.

When I awoke in the morning, Edward wasn't there. But Alice was. As soon as I opened my eyes, I flinched in surprise.

"Alice you always do that!"

"How was your night?" she asked me with a sly smile.

"Peaceful," I replied.

"I was right," she murmured triumphantly to herself.

After I had showered and gotten dressed, I ventured out into the living room, where the TV was on and everyone was gone. I sat on the couch and half-listened to the news. I was just reaching for the remote control when I heard something that made me freeze.

The over-excited newscaster was speaking of local news, where "an abnormally large wolf-bear" was found in La Push. A few local boys had caught the beast and saved the day.

I jumped up and tripped over Alice's purse on my way to the phone. I dialed Jacob's number and waited anxiously for someone to answer.

"Hello?" I was pleased when I heard it was Jacob himself.

"Jacob!" I said breathlessly. "You're on the news!"

"Yes," he agreed proudly. "We caught the tan wolf."

"How?" I asked eagerly.

"Well, we'd been spending pretty much all day and a lot of the night prowling around the beach and the forest," he explained. "We knew it was lurking around, in case you decided to come and stay with us. We basically just trapped it – cornered it and it had nowhere else to go against five _**Quileute**_ werewolves. We got lucky."

"That's great!" I exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of my feet. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, Bella!" I knew he was grinning, excited at what he and his pack had just accomplished. "So how many mutts are left?"

"One," I told him.

"Bella, where are you anyway?"

"Seattle." I had asked Jasper that the day before. There wasn't any real valid reason for coming to Seattle specifically; just that it had been somewhere to go.

Jacob made me promise to call him frequently and give him updates, and meanwhile, they would be on the lookout for the remaining white wolf.

As I hung up, I made my way back to the couch. The moment I sat down, Alice burst into the room. "Bella!" she said urgently. Immediately, I stood back up.

"We've got to go," she said wildly, pulling me away from the couch and over to the door. I couldn't tell if she was afraid, excited, or both.

"Where are we going?" I asked as she practically dragged me to the elevator.

"The white wolf has been spotted," she whispered, pressing the elevator button anxiously, over and over again, willing it to move faster.

My eyes widened as I let this sink in. I didn't have time to really think though, because Alice was ushering me into the empty elevator.

"This is _it_," she told me, her own golden eyes wide and alert. "If we can get this one, it'll all be over. We can go back to Forks and you'll be safe and…"

Alice didn't get to finish her sentence because at that moment, the elevator jerked to a stop and the lights went out.

It was completely silent, before Alice began to jab the open button furiously. The doors did not budge.

"Alice? Alice!" I said frantically, looking around the elevator in fear.

"It's okay, Bella!" she told me calmly. "We'll get out of here. It's just a technical difficulty."

But I wasn't convinced. A gigantic werewolf was after me. The elevator getting stuck could not possibly be a strange coincidence.

I was certain it was an ambush.

* * *

**A/N: I know, I'm sorry about the cliffhanger. But it's late and...well, I really have no excuse. Only two chapters left and the story will be complete! Thank you, as always, for the reviews!**


	24. Chapter 23: The White Wolf

_Chapter 23: The White Wolf_

"Ridiculous," Alice was murmuring to herself as she paced around the dark elevator. I had sat myself down in the corner to mope in fear and Alice's continuous movements were making me even more anxious.

"What do you see?" I asked her nervously and she actually stopped for a moment.

"I can't see _anything_," she whispered, aghast.

At that moment, part of the ceiling of the elevator came crashing down. Alice zipped out of the way just in time. After staring at the wreckage for a short moment, she looked above us.

"Good God, Emmett!" she hissed. "You didn't have to break the elevator!"

Emmett's grinning face appeared above us. "As far as I'm concerned, I had no other choice."

Alice rolled her eyes and motioned me over. I scrambled to my feet and she lifted me, effortlessly, above her. I stretched out my arms and Emmett grabbed my hands, pulling me up above the elevator. I looked around. I wasn't completely sure where we were, but it was no doubt where the elevator operated from, a place that probably never saw the light of day. The entire "room", if that was what you could even call it, was rusty metal beams and plates, and electrical wires everywhere.

There was no way this could possibly be safe.

Alice climbed her way up to us and just as she did so, we heard a menacing growl fill the air. I began to involuntarily tremble with fear as I heard it and realized that we were standing on a narrow beam. One wrong step and we would fall, plunging numerous floors down to the bottom.

Alice and Emmett held me between them as we froze, seeing no wolf anywhere. I felt safer in between them, but still not completely safe, not in pure darkness with a wolf roaming around somewhere.

Alice froze for a moment and I knew she was having a vision. I turned to her, although I could not see her, and whispered, "What is it?"

And at that moment, I was blinded by sudden, sharp daylight. Someone had kicked part of the wall in, and a large, square piece of metal fell away. After a few moments, I heard a loud _clang_ sound from below. I squinted, trying to get my eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness.

Edward was crouching in the open hole. Obviously not wasting any time, he balanced carefully and held out his hands to me.

I blinked stupidly at him.

"We're going to toss you over," Emmett whispered into my ear, and I unconsciously clung tighter to him and Alice.

"W-what?" I stammered, not liking the idea of being thrown.

"We're going to _hand_ you over to Edward," Alice corrected him. "You may need to jump a bit."

I turned and stared at her in disbelief.

"As in, you may need to propel yourself forward," Alice made a useless flying motion with her hand.

I turned back to Edward, who was now kneeling in what resembled an open window. He was still holding out his hands for me, and staring at me intently.

"Ready?" Emmett asked me eagerly.

"No," I said shakily, as I felt Emmett and Alice tighten their grip on me, ready to _throw _me.

"Don't worry, Bella," Alice assured me. "Edward won't let you fall."

I didn't take my eyes off his as I nodded, taking in a breath of stifling hot air, and preparing myself for what I knew was coming.

Right as Emmett and Alice "propelled" me towards him, I pushed off of the metal beam with my feet. For one terrifying moment, I was flying through the air. It wasn't an extraordinary distance, but enough where for about three whole seconds, I was vulnerable and completely at risk to fall to my death. I breathed out a sigh of relief as Edward caught me tightly.

Again, I noticed he wasted no time. He held me close to him with one arm, and grabbed a rope with his other hand. I made the mistake of looking down and seeing that we were still a good distance from the ground.

I closed my eyes and buried my face in his shoulder. I silently wished for the time to go faster, for the outcome to just appear, for the nightmare to end.

* * *

That was how I found myself standing on the mountain, forced to make an impossible decision.

Everything up to that moment was a blur. I vaguely remembered escaping from the hotel building with Edward – Spider-man style. I sort of recalled running to his car and stumbling in. I kind of could still see myself as we drove at a frightening speed to anywhere…or maybe to somewhere. I wasn't sure anymore.

Edward had briefly told me he was taking me away with him for safety, while the others took care of our one last threat, our one last enemy – the white wolf.

A light rain had begun to fall as we drove up the winding path into the mountains. We were going so fast that everything was really just a blur of green trees and grey skies. I clenched and unclenched my hands, not knowing what to expect.

We had finally stopped and gotten out of the safe haven of the Volvo. I had sat and leaned against a tree, shielding myself partially from the rain, as Edward paced and occasionally looked over the side of the mountain. Eventually I made the mistake of closing my eyes.

And that was how I found myself in my present situation, indecisive beyond belief.

I had closed my eyes for only a few seconds it had seemed, and when I opened them, Edward was gone. I looked around quickly and felt a tiny pang of relief when I saw him standing to my left.

I met his eyes and suddenly felt stuck. I couldn't look away and I couldn't blink. I could only stare back, feeling like I was in a trance, but not able to react or to break away. Deep in my gut, I knew something was wrong. Slowly, I got to my feet, with the intention of walking towards him.

Nothing else mattered. I just had to get to him.

"Bella!" I heard a voice shout and I used the distraction as an opportunity. I quickly bowed my head and looked to the ground, feeling dizzy. And when I looked back up, there were two Edwards standing in front of me.

At first I was afraid that I was just seeing things because my head was spinning. I forced myself to focus and that only confirmed my fear. There were two identical Edwards standing in front of me.

Voices filled my head as I suddenly realized what was happening.

Jasper's voice was the first I heard.

_The leader of the wolf pack – that's the white one – has this special ability, and he's the only one of the pack that can do it. He can morph into almost anything, in order to catch his prey._

That couldn't be happening…not now, when I was alone on this mountain with a real Edward and a fake Edward, and nothing – absolutely nothing – to help me.

Jasper's voice morphed into Esme's.

_And the scary thing is that once a human or an animal looks into the white wolf's eyes, it's almost impossible to look away. They can't break that trance and they think that this 'mirage' that they are seeing is real._

My eyes widened. One of these Edwards was the white wolf, the same white wolf that had once morphed into Charlie to try and ensnare me.

No one had to explain to me what I had to do. Obviously I had to choose the right Edward. And I had to destroy the false one, the one that was the wolf in disguise. I slowly reached into my pocket and felt a small knife, a knife that I did not even remember putting there.

I didn't want to do this. This was an ultimate test of my relationship with Edward. I had to choose the right one but how? The two Edwards in front of me were dressed alike and looked alike. They wore the same expression. And they both took a step towards me at the same time, and then turned to look at each other in disgust.

"Bella," said the Edward on the left. "This…" he pointed to the Edward on the right. "This is the wolf, in disguise. Don't let him fool you."

"No Bella," said the Edward on the right. "That's not true."

I felt an enormous amount of pressure. If I truly loved Edward, then I would be able to tell the right one immediately, right? I would just _know_…

But I didn't know.

Left Edward was staring at me intently, a stare I had seen so many times that it was as familiar as sunlight. I gazed back at him with a calmness that I didn't really feel or believe; almost sure that it was the correct Edward. Until I looked over at Right Edward and saw him staring at Left Edward with undisguised hate. Immediately, I wasn't sure again.

That's when Left Edward pulled a red rose out of his pocket. It was slightly crushed, but as red as blood and still beautiful. I caught my breath. It was him…it must have been him. The wolf wouldn't have been able to know that Edward often gave me roses to tell me how he felt.

Right Edward took a step towards me. "Bella, no," he said in a low voice.

Left Edward held the rose out to me.

I took a step back from them. I wanted nothing more than to run away, to hide. I didn't want to be faced with this complicated choice. But although I could run, I could never hide. And I could not leave the real Edward alone with the enemy.

"I would follow you anywhere, Bella," Right Edward murmured suddenly, so soft at first that I was sure only I could hear him. "Even on a midnight plane to anywhere."

My heart began to beat faster. The Edward on the right was the _real Edward_. At that moment, I knew it and I had practically no doubts. The wolf might be able to hand me a rose in imitation of Edward, but he couldn't speak a phrase that I had only ever heard Edward say. No one else had ever heard Edward say that, I was sure of it.

My mind flash backed to that day. I had had a dream about Angelo and I had gone to Edward for comfort, as a truce. Edward had given me a purple rose that meant eternal love and I had danced with him. That's when he had said it those words.

I had to do what I needed to do carefully. I stepped towards left Edward and took the rose from him. Although I was terrified, I moved into his arms and felt him wrap two strong arms around me. I tried not to think of the betrayed and hurt look that was probably on the real Edward's face at that moment. I couldn't think of that. I had to focus on trapping the wolf.

I put my head on his shoulder, knowing I only had seconds. If this was the white wolf, he had me right where he wanted me. He had me in his clutches. And I had to be more cunning than he was. I slowly withdrew my hand from my pocket, where it had been the entire time, to wrap my other arm around him. I held tightly to the tiny pocket knife the whole time.

I didn't have time to think about what I was about to do. If I hesitated, I would fill my head with doubts and not do anything.

I plunged the blade into Left Edward's neck.

I heard him let out a choking noise and grab me tighter. I twisted the blade, inflicting more harm, and felt him dig his nails into my back, clawing down my entire spine. I let out a surprised and pained cry, and felt Right Edward pull me away quickly, out of the monster's arms.

At least, I believed it was the monster's arms. I suddenly felt confused, and hoped beyond anything that I hadn't just killed the real Edward. I hoped I hadn't just put myself in the hands of the real beast.

I watched in horror as the Edward look-alike morphed slowly back into a white wolf. The white fur, once as bright as snow, was now stained with blood - blood that was running from the blade still twisted in its neck. I watched as it fell to the ground, and I watched as the life slowly left its body.

Grimly, Edward took a lighter out of his pocket, lit it, and threw it onto the wolf. It set up a blaze of fire that felt warm against my face, and against the rain. I threw the red rose into the fire before Edward gently pulled me away.

I turned to look at him at that moment, and his face slowly broke into a smile. He gathered me into his arms and spun me around as he laughed. "You did it, Bella! You did it!"

I clung to him as he spun me around, and I clung onto the exhilarating feeling of spinning and of victory. After a moment, he gently set me down and took my face in his hands.

"You're _amazing_," he told me. I peered up into his face skeptically, but all I could see was seriousness. He was not joking.

"I couldn't have done it without you," I reminded him. "You mentioned the midnight plane to anywhere. That was _perfect_."

"But you stabbed the wolf," he pointed out.

I smiled at him, before looking away, back at the fire. It reminded me of Angelo and I shivered.

Edward must have sensed what I was thinking. He took my hand and pulled me even further away. "It's over now, Bella," he said quietly. "There's nothing that can harm you anymore."

I looked up at him, overwhelmed. "It's been going on for so long, I can't even believe it's over."

Edward nodded his understanding. He led me away, down the path to his car, and I followed.

Halfway there, he stopped and turned. I was still a bit higher on the mountain and as a result, he was looking up at me.

"What?" I asked him, the rain pelting against my skin.

He looked slightly uncomfortable for a moment, before he got down on one knee, and looked up at me, still holding my hand. He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it abruptly.

I stared at him, not sure what he was doing. But I didn't like seeing him kneeling before me in the mud, like a slave. I gently took his hands and pulled him back up. Then I threw my arms around him.

"Thank you," I whispered, as I felt him hug me. "Thank you for never giving up on me."

I felt him kiss my forehead, and I allowed relief and joy to wash over me.

Finally, I was where I belonged.

* * *

**A/N: This is not the end yet! There is one more chapter. I can't believe it's almost over. But I'm finally updating everything again at least!**

**I want to give a very special thank you to Ali Shaw, who gave me the idea and inspiration for the end of this chapter, where Bella has to choose between the two Edwards. She had suggested a few things and it really did inspire me, and that is where my idea came from. Thank you SO much!**

**So, let me know what you think =) And the last chapter will be up in a few days!**


	25. Epilogue: Ever After

_Epilogue: Ever After_

I walked up the path to the Cullen house, my arm linked with Jacob's. It was a situation I had never thought I would be in. I was escorting Jacob to a party at the Cullen house.

For what seemed like the millionth time, Jacob leaned towards me. "They're inviting me to dinner?" he asked mildly.

I smacked his arm, lightly so that I wouldn't hurt my own hand. "They're not going to eat you," I said in a low voice. "It's just a fire."

Jacob grumbled something I couldn't understand but I ignored him. We walked up the steps and I saw Alice waiting for us, at the door.

She embraced me tightly when we got to the top and smiling, I hugged her back. When she pulled away, she was beaming. "I am so proud of you," she whispered.

I couldn't help but beam back. "I couldn't have done it if you hadn't snuck a knife into my pocket," I teased her, but it was the truth.

Her grin widened. She turned and nodded politely to Jacob, who muttered an uncomfortable hello. Then she led us through the house and outside into the backyard, where there was a large, bright fire burning. Emmett was the first to run from the fire. He scooped me up in his arms and twirled me around. I laughed and pounded his arm.

"I never knew you had it in ya!" he said, laughing as he put me down and I shrugged with a grin, as if I known all along.

Carlisle came up behind him and gave me a hug that was a bit more tame, but still as loving. "Of course she did," he said with a smile. "All along."

Esme appeared next to Carlisle, and she embraced me as well, murmuring her encouragement and pride into my ear.

I wasn't surprised to see that Rosalie had appeared next to Emmett. But I was surprised when I saw a tiny smile tug at the corner of her mouth, and she reached out her arms to me. A bit stunned, I hugged her.

"Phenomenal," she whispered to me. "You did well."

"Thank you," I whispered, thanking her not just for her words and this new, strange kindness, but for everything that she had done to keep me safe in the past months.

They began to lead me over to the fire and I looked behind us. "Where's Edward?" I asked.

"He's going to be a bit late," Carlisle told me, and I could have sworn I saw an amused glint in his eye. "But he will be here, shortly." At Carlisle's words, Emmett walked away, roaring with laughter. I shook my head, not understanding what was going on.

When we got closer to the fire, I stopped and my eyes widened. Sitting around the fire was Charlie, Billy, and some of the members of the Quileute wolf pack.

I turned to Carlisle. "Am I seeing things?" I asked him suspiciously.

He smiled down at me. "No, Bella," he said. "This party is for you. We thought we'd invite some of your friends, and Charlie's friends. We thought that for tonight, everyone should be friends."

I felt a lump form in my throat as Charlie stood up. He had a bandage around his head, but otherwise, he looked good. He must have just gotten out of the hospital.

"Thank you," I whispered, overwhelmed. "Thank you _so_ much, Carlisle."

"Anything for you, Bella," Carlisle said warmly, and patted my back. Then he took a few steps back so that I could go see Charlie.

I ran the rest of the way to the fire and into Charlie's open arms. After a few moments, I pulled back and looked him over. "You look good," I remarked, blinking back ridiculous tears at seeing my father well again.

"Really?" he said, grinning and patting his bandage.

I nodded. "I'm so glad you're okay, Dad."

"Me too," he said. "And I'm glad you're okay too, Bella."

He sat back down and talked a bit louder so that other people could be involved in the conversation. "So…" he said casually. "I hear you stabbed an animal."

I heard Jacob snort with laughter and I crossed my arms. "Safety first," I mumbled, not wanting to explain, or even make up, what had happened. I walked over to Billy, who was sitting comfortably in his wheelchair. He handed Charlie his beer for a moment, and took my hands in his.

"Well done," he said proudly, with a smile, and I smiled back, giving his hands a squeeze. I knew that although Charlie might not have known exactly what had happened, Billy and the pack did. Italian werewolves were no friends of theirs and it was just as much a relief that the Italian wolves were gone for them, as it was for the Cullens and me.

The members of the pack came over, giving me high-fives and hugs, and slapping me on the back. Everyone was chatting at once. Laughing, Jacob pulled me away from the crowd and we went and sat on the other side of Charlie, who was laughing with Billy.

"Just for the record," Jacob said to me. "I really didn't want to leave without you."

I glanced up at him quickly. "What are you talking about?"

"When the bloodsuckers had us held prisoner in that house," he explained.

I let out a small laugh. "Don't worry about it," I assured him, amused that he was bringing something up that had happened some time ago and something we had already discussed.

He pulled me into a hug suddenly, his body warm.

"What you did, Bella," he whispered into my ear, "was incredible."

I hugged him back. "Thanks, Jake."

When we pulled apart, he was grinning at me with a twinkle in his eyes. "I've taught you well," he said, completely serious.

For the second time that night, I whacked him (carefully). "Whatever you say," I said with a grin as he sprang up and ran over to his pack. I watched him in amusement and felt someone sit down next to me.

I turned to see Jasper, who put an arm around me.

"So how does it feel?" he asked me.

I tried not to smile at the widespread attention I was getting. "How does what feel?" I asked, ripping some grass out of the ground instinctively.

"Being a hero," he gently ruffled my hair.

I chuckled. "I'm not a hero. I just did what I had to."

"That's what heroes do," Jasper replied. We were quiet for awhile, until the silence was broken by a round of laughter from the other side of the fire. I turned to see Charlie, Billy, the pack, Emmett, and Carlisle laughing at something. I grinned. Seeing both sides getting along was amazing. It felt amazing.

"I'm proud of you, Bella," Jasper said quietly, just like Alice had said. I blushed, pleased, remembering that Jasper had been alongside me for this entire journey, with his wisdom and advice.

"Thank you," I said earnestly and he gave me a quick squeeze, before getting up and going over to Alice.

I talked with Charlie and Billy for awhile, wondering where Edward was.

After a few minutes, I saw him appear out of the darkness, walking around from the front of the house. His appearance made me feel lighter. I was glad that I was now looking forward to seeing him, instead of avoiding him.

"Hello," he said, smiling down at me and shaking Charlie's, and then Billy's, hand. He held out his hands and I took them as he helped me up. "Will you come with me?" he whispered, and I nodded, letting him lead me away. I glanced over my shoulder but everyone was having so much fun that they didn't notice we were leaving.

Edward led me back into the house and through it, and back outside onto a balcony. The cool air breeze gently rustled my hair as I looked out into the dark, beautiful night. Although we could faintly hear the sounds of the party in the backyard, it was still peaceful and sort of quiet.

I glanced over at Edward. I noticed at that moment that he was dressed very nicely – not exactly dressed "up", but still, he looked wonderful. Self-consciously, I looked down at my feet. I didn't look like a slob, but I wasn't exactly dressed to impress. But I figured my black Capri's and flip flops were innocent enough.

Edward, in his crisp, white collared shirt and black plants, got down in front of me on one knee. It made me remember the moment after I had killed the white wolf…Edward had been on his knees then, too. I remembered how he looked like he had wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to say it.

I felt a pang of nervousness as I looked down at him. Men didn't usually just get on their knees for _any_ reason.

He took my warm hand in his cool hand, and held my gaze with his. "Bella," he began.

I stared at him, hoping desperately that Charlie wasn't anywhere near to see this. I was pretty sure he would think it was a wedding engagement and he would go after Edward with a burning piece of wood.

"We've been through a lot," Edward said softly. "There's been a lot of misunderstandings and a lot of…pain." His gaze intensified on the last word and it made my stomach burn. There had been so much unnecessary pain in between us, pain that had broken us apart, yet binded us tightly together.

"But there has been a lot of love too," he continued, pulling an object out of his pocket. "Which is why I wanted to ask you…would you do it all again?"

"What?" I asked, confused.

"All of this," he said, the object hidden in his hand. "Everything that has happened, from the very instant I first saw you in biology class, up until this moment."

Nostalgia filled my mind. Logically, someone would think, why would anyone want to ever go through all of that again? The loss, the despair, the trials and the troubles...but deep down, I knew I would do it all again. How could I not?

"I would," Edward said, completely serious although a small smile twitched at the corner of his mouth. "I would go through every single second again, just to get to where we are now and to keep you here, with me."

Standing on the balcony with the moon-light illuminating Edward's pale face and golden eyes, it couldn't have been a sweeter moment. But Edward, being Edward, made it even sweeter. He finally revealed the object hidden in his palm – a ring – and slipped it onto my left ring finger. After he put the ring on my finger, he held my small hand in both of his and looked at me.

Speechless and completely overwhelmed, I opened my mouth, and then closed it. I knew if I said anything, I would begin to stutter like a moron and ruin this completely beautiful moment. So instead of speaking, I looked at the ring on my finger in wonder.

It was a beautiful silver ring that shone in the evening light. In the center was a small, silver rose, with a small white diamond in the middle. It was perfect. It made me think of all of the different roses that Edward had given me in the past months, to tell me how he felt.

I looked back at Edward, who was searching my face anxiously, as if he were not sure of my reaction.

"This," I said nervously. "Is this a…?"

"It's whatever you want it to be, Bella," he told me gently. "I know what I want it to be, but you may not be ready for that yet. And if you're not, that's all right."

I gently ran my finger along the smooth, silver band. This simple, sweet moment seemed so complex and I wasn't quite sure what he was trying to say. Or maybe I was, but just couldn't believe he was really saying it.

Edward's face slowly broke into a smile at my bewildered expression. "It's a promise ring, Bella," he explained. "It's my promise to you that I will never leave you again. Ever. I will never cause you anymore pain…I think I've caused you enough pain to last a lifetime." He looked down at the ground.

My heart sunk at seeing him sad. I gently helped him to his feet and put my arms around him.

"No, you haven't," I told him. "Don't ever think that you did."

Gently, he placed his hands on my hips and lifted me onto the railing of the balcony. At first I was afraid I would fall off, but he held me in place, his arms around my waist.

"I'll always be here, Bella," he told me. "For always."

I felt unreasonable, hormonal tears spring to my eyes at his words and he laughed, leaning his forehead against mine.

"Thank you so much, Edward," I whispered. "This means….everything."

I looked back down at the ring again. "It's beautiful," I continued, surprised that I wasn't bashful or uncomfortable at expressing how much this gift meant to me. "It's perfect."

Suddenly, I looked back up at him. "Wait…what do you mean by what you want it to be, and what I may not be ready for?" Deep down, I'm sure I knew the answer to that, but I kind of wanted to hear him say it.

"Bella, I want to spend forever with you."

"You're going to change me?" I asked him quickly.

His gaze darkened slightly. "Is that what you want?"

My heart started to beat faster. I remembered when we were held prisoner by the Volturi and how Edward had desperately wanted to change me, to save my life. And I had wanted nothing to do with it. But I found that now that Edward and I were back on good terms and I realized how true his love really was, that I wouldn't mind being changed.

"Yes," I whispered.

"I don't want that for you," he said quietly.

"You did not too long ago," I pointed out.

"That was to save you. But now, you are saved. It doesn't need to happen anymore."

"But the Volturi said it was one of the conditions, when they let us go," I reminded him.

Edward nodded. "But we have time, Bella," he insisted.

I didn't want to argue, and so I nodded as well.

"What I meant," he continued, "by what you may not be ready for and what I want, is for it to act as a….wedding ring."

I stared at him, feeling breathless. And then, very carefully, he leaned in closer, and his lips were on mine.

It had been the longest time since we had kissed and I felt my heart thud wildly and my head spin. I kissed him back willingly, wishing time could stand still and that this moment could last longer than I knew it would. It was a sweet kiss full of meaning, passion, understanding, and hope.

After a few moments, I heard a bang and jumped, breaking away from Edward and almost toppling over the railing.

Edward laughed, pulling me down from the railing. "It's just Emmett," he said, pointing to the sky.

And there in the sky were beautiful, festive fireworks of many colors, shapes, and sizes. I couldn't help but silently laugh as well, as I thought of Emmett lighting off explosives, laughing and being proud of himself for celebrating Edward's proposal so dramatically. I now realized why he had been roaring with laughter when I had arrived.

Edward sat down on the polished, wooden floor of the balcony and gently pulled me down with him. I landed ungracefully on his lap and we watched the fireworks light up the sky. Although my back was to him, he had his arms around me, holding my hands. I felt him finger the silver ring.

"But no matter what, it is a promise ring, either way," he told me, continuing the conversation of the ring.

Suddenly, I looked over my shoulder at him. "I would do it all over again," I told him truthfully.

He stared at me, before slowly grinning. He buried his face in my shoulder and held me tightly and I knew what I said had made all the difference.

"I want you to know that I love you," he whispered. "And I always did."

"I love you, too," I whispered back.

Some people get married young, have kids, and celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary surrounded by a large family. Some people live dream lives with dream jobs, their dream spouses always right beside them. Some people live the life of a fairy tale, or a princess, and have a knight whisk them off on a horse into the sunset.

I would eventually become a vampire and live forever with the one I loved, the one I had loved all along and through it all. I would be surrounded by him and his loving family for all of time. That was my happily ever after, my personal story.

_Live your life_, Angelo had once told me in a dream. As I looked up at the fireworks, I could have sworn I saw his face, with a wink and a smile, and then he was gone. I looked back at Edward quickly and by the look on his face, I knew he had seen it too. He gave me an encouraging smile. "Live your life," he reminded me.

And that's what I planned to do.

This was my happily ever after. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

_The End._

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**A/N: Well, that was it! I know this story should have been finished a lot sooner than this, but now it is finished: the end of my little two part Bella & Edward story. I can't believe that I started writing this last summer! I think I mentioned at one time that I was going to do a third and make it into a trilogy, but I am actually going to stop here. Instead of starting a third, I am going to work on updating _And It Stoned Me _and _Phantom fo the Highway_. And my Alice in Wonderland fic (yay Johnny Depp!)**

**I hope everyone enjoyed reading this - I know I had a great time writing it. Thank you to everyone who read this, and thank you to everyone who reviewed. You are all awesome!**

**Have a great summer and until next time,**

**peace & love,**

**Nicole**


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